On Aug. 1, 2025, EPA proposed rescinding its 2009 Endangerment Finding. The Endangerment Finding concluded greenhouse gas emissions are air pollutants under the Clean Air Act that contribute to pollution that endangers public health or welfare. The proposal argues EPA does not have authority under the Clean Air Act to regulate pollutants that do not have immediate and direct local or regional effects, emissions from vehicles in the US are too small to endanger public health or welfare, and regulating vehicle emissions is costly and futile. These arguments are contrary to Supreme Court precedent and decades of scientific research. If the proposal is finalized, EPA’s regulation of greenhouse gas emissions from US vehicles and other sectors will end.
We track the regulatory history of the Greenhouse Gas Endangerment Finding on our regulatory tracker.
Biden Administration Resources on EJ Impacts of Climate Change
Financial Risks of Climate Change and Benefits of Mitigation. In Jan. 2025, the White House Office of Management and Budget published a white paper on how climate change will impact the U.S. economy, focusing on (1) assessing climate financial risk for federal programs, (2) a review of federal agency plans for climate adaptation, and (3) estimating the climate benefits of federal investments in climate change mitigation. The 115-page report included summaries of agency efforts to assess critical infrastructure vulnerable to the effects of climate change, and programs designed to mitigate climate change-related risk, including in vulnerable communities.
Climate Change and Health Equity Strategy. In Dec. 2023 HHS released a Climate Change and Health Equity Strategy Supplement, describing HHS agencies’ response to the climate crisis. The supplement detailed both actions already taken and planned actions for HHS agencies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve climate change resilience, with a discussion of the overlap between health and environmental justice concerns. Read the full HHS supplement.
Climate Change and Children’s Health. On April 25, 2023, EPA released a report documenting the health impacts of climate change on children in the US. EPA recognized that children are uniquely vulnerable to climate change and climate change related impacts can leave life-long consequences on children (including learning and physical health complications). The report quantified health effects associated with extreme heat, air quality, changing seasons, flooding, and infectious diseases. EPA’s analysis also examined how overburdened children (Black, Indigenous, and children of color; children from low-income households; limited English speaking children; and children without health insurance) are disproportionately exposed to the most severe impacts of climate change.
Disproportionate Impacts of Climate Change on Socially Vulnerable Populations. On Sept. 2, 2021, EPA released a report detailing how the impacts of climate change are disproportionately felt in “socially vulnerable” communities that are least equipped to prepare for and recover from climate impacts such as heat waves, flooding, and poor air quality. Among other results, the report finds that Black and African American individuals are 40% more likely than other groups to live in areas with the highest projected increases in mortality rates due to climate change, American Indian and Alaska Native communities are significantly more likely to live in areas impacted by sea level rise, and Hispanic and Latino individuals are 43% more likely to live in communities that will lose work hours because of high temperatures. Read the full report on disproportionate burdens from climate change.