By John Ankele
In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) affirmed the endangerment finding — a pivotal scientific conclusion that greenhouse gases from fossil fuels endanger public health and welfare. This finding serves as the legal foundation for regulating emissions from cars, trucks, gas wells, and coal-burning power plants. It remains a vital step in the ongoing battle against climate change.
Yet during the Trump administration, this foundational safeguard is not only being dismissed—it is being actively undermined. By working to invalidate the endangerment finding, the administration is in the process of stripping the EPA of its core purpose: protecting the environment and the people who depend on it. In its place, we are witnessing an aggressive campaign to roll back environmental regulations, opening the floodgates to unchecked pollution and fossil fuel expansion.
One of the most alarming developments in this process is the targeting of NASA’s National Climate Assessment, a critical scientific resource that helps governments, communities, and first responders plan for extreme weather and environmental disasters. Undermining this program, alongside other EPA rollbacks, paves the way for disinformation, inaction, and environmental devastation.
Climate Rollbacks and the Fossil Fuel Agenda
These actions are not occurring in isolation. They coincide with devastating climate events across the United States: catastrophic floods in Texas that have claimed lives, including children, and wildfires in California that continue to displace tens of thousands. And yet, in the face of such suffering, federal policies are being shaped to favor fossil fuel profits over public welfare.
By repurposing the EPA into an agency that promotes the burning of climate-heating fossil fuels—and simultaneously working to stifle the clean energy sector—the administration signals where its loyalties lie. The beneficiaries? Wealthy fossil fuel executives, shareholders, and political allies. The cost? Our health, safety, and future.
We Are Not Separate From Nature
This is not just about politics. It’s about recognizing a deeper truth: we are not separate from the Earth. We are nature—aware of itself. Our lives are intimately woven into the ecosystems we inhabit. To deny this interconnectedness is to deny reality itself.
The disregard for climate science, public health, and environmental protection is more than a policy error—it is a moral failing. Children, elders, low-income communities, and all those without the privilege of second homes on higher ground are being left behind. Their well-being is being sacrificed for short-term profit and political gain.
A Call to Awareness and Action
In these critical times, it is essential to affirm our shared responsibility. Climate resilience, environmental justice, and a livable future require bold policy, truthful science, and spiritual courage. We must speak out, stay informed, and support community-based efforts that prioritize life over profit.
Because ultimately, this isn’t just about the EPA, or even one administration—it’s about whether we choose to live in harmony with the Earth or continue down a path of destruction.
