Media: Trump to Take Another Step Back on Climate Policy

United States - On Tuesday, President Trump's spokesperson Caroline Leavitt announced that Trump will repeal a document signed by Obama on Thursday, which is the basis for the United States' response to greenhouse gas emissions. She told the media that the president will "formally repeal" this 2009 document, calling it "harmful findings".

This 180-degree reversal has been strongly condemned by scientists and environmentalists, which would be a major blow to the United States' climate actions, as the US is the largest historical emitter of global warming.

Manish Bapna, chairman of the environmental organization NRDC, recently promised: this repeal will definitely be challenged in court and may even be appealed all the way to the Supreme Court. "We will see them in court." This order, called "Harm Finding", was issued by former President Barack Obama in 2009. The finding stated that greenhouse gas emissions from sources such as cars, power plants and factories cause climate change and could pose a risk to public health.

If the "Harm Finding" order is implemented, it would open the door for numerous federal regulations aimed at limiting the release of these heat-trapping gases (carbon dioxide, methane, etc.), first through trucks and cars that emit carbon dioxide by burning gasoline.

The repeal of this law would immediately terminate the standards related to vehicle emissions and threaten a series of other regulations, especially those related to power plants. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin assured the Wall Street Journal on Monday that this would be "the largest deregulation action in American history".

The Trump administration, which strongly supports oil and coal, has been seeking to overturn this decision and the resulting regulations for months.

The US government downplays the role of human activities in climate change and believes that greenhouse gases should not be considered pollutants in the traditional sense, as their impact on human health is indirect and global rather than local. The US government insists that repealing this measure will reduce car costs.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1856805721640960/

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