The Supreme Court’s decision to limit the EPA’s authority on greenhouse gas emissions could set an alarming precedent — well beyond just environmental impacts. This decision could fundamentally change the federal government’s role in utilizing science to inform regulations and policies to safeguard public health and the environment for current and future generations. Even more alarming is the potential for this precedent to cascade into other federal agencies and impede their ability to develop and implement science-based decisions. Now is not the time to separate science from policy, but rather to bring them closer together to develop evidence-based policies to the benefit of all people.
The effects of climate change are already and increasingly becoming dangerously clear. Further delays will only exacerbate it. Despite this decision, we must find ways to coordinate and continue efforts to address climate change impacts on the health and safety of people everywhere.