Trump Repeals Landmark Climate Finding in Move Criticised as Gift to Polluters
Donald Trump has formally revoked the scientific endangerment finding that has allowed the federal government to regulate climate-heating pollution since 2009. The move has been described by critics as a substantial gift to wealthy polluting industries at the expense of American public health and safety.
Endangerment Finding Overturned After 15 Years
The endangerment finding, established in 2009, states that the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere poses a significant danger to public health and welfare. This finding has served as the legal foundation for the Environmental Protection Agency to impose limits on heat-trapping emissions from various sources including vehicles, power plants, and industrial facilities.
Trump characterised this regulatory rollback as "the single largest deregulatory action in American history". In contrast, former President Barack Obama issued a strong condemnation, stating that the repeal would leave American citizens "less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change – all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money".
Legal Challenges and International Reactions
Multiple environmental organisations have pledged to challenge the EPA in court over this regulatory reversal, with the state of California joining these legal efforts. Meanwhile, at the Munich security summit, Democratic leaders are urging European counterparts to adopt a firmer stance against Trump's environmental policies.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been particularly vocal, telling European leaders that "grovelling to Trump's needs" makes them appear "pathetic on the world stage". European responses remain divided, with French President Emmanuel Macron advocating for more defiant diplomacy while NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte emphasises the importance of maintaining relations with the US administration for European security.
Additional Controversies and Global Developments
In related developments, Trump has continued to downplay a racist video posted to his social media account depicting the Obamas as apes, confirming that no White House staffer has been disciplined for the offensive post. The video drew bipartisan criticism, including from several prominent Republican lawmakers.
Other significant news includes:
- Kathy Ruemmler, a top Goldman Sachs lawyer and former Obama White House counsel, has resigned following revelations about her close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
- Federal prosecutors are dropping felony charges against two Venezuelan men accused of assaulting an ICE officer in Minnesota after new evidence undermined the government's case.
- Canadian police had made multiple visits to the home of a teenage suspect involved in one of Canada's deadliest school shootings over concerns about mental health and weapons.
- The Bangladesh Nationalist party has achieved a historic election victory in what observers consider the country's first free and fair election in nearly two decades.
Climate and Security Concerns Intensify
Simon Stiell, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, has warned that national security planning must adapt to climate impacts to avoid what he terms "a new world disorder". He emphasised that "for any leader who is serious about security, climate action is mission critical" given the widespread disruption climate impacts cause to populations and economies worldwide.
Meanwhile in Ukraine, at least 10 people have died from hypothermia and 1,469 were hospitalised in January alone as Russia's attacks on energy infrastructure continue during severe winter conditions. With temperatures dropping to approximately -18°C (-0.4°F) in Kyiv, 45% of the capital's schools remain closed due to lack of central heating.
Cultural Highlights and Olympic Connections
In cultural news, the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy is being revisited as a groundbreaking queer classic that initially risked ending careers but ultimately won Oscars for best director and best picture. Additionally, musician Thundercat has discussed his eclectic career spanning collaborations with artists from Ariana Grande to Herbie Hancock, including an amusing anecdote about unsuccessfully introducing Snoop Dogg to Frank Zappa's music.
Remarkably, all curling stones used in the Winter Olympics originate from a single small factory in Scotland. Kays Scotland, a family business established in 1851, employs just 15 staff who transform ancient granite into Olympic-quality stones through a meticulous process described by operations manager Ricky English as taking "60m years and about six hours to make a curling stone".
