President Trump is continuing his fight against climate policies. 

On Thursday, February 12, President Trump announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was revoking a 2009 Endangerment Finding that stated the emission of various greenhouse gasses “threaten the public health and welfare of current and future generations.” Trump described the Endangerment Finding as “a disastrous Obama-era policy that severely damaged the American auto industry and massively drove up prices for American consumers.” 

Revoking this finding removes the Government’s legal responsibility and authority to place any limits on the emission of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and all other greenhouse gases. Trump described gas, oil, and “other things” as what “makes factories rock and roll.” 

This revocation of the Endangerment Finding follows a series of moves by the Trump administration to stymie the action on climate change. This past January, Trump pulled the U.S. out of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that had been in place for over three decades. The Trump administration is also actively working to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the most prominent environmental research centers in the world. 

Trump’s anti-climate protection policies also have the power to severely impact the rest of the globe. The U.S. produces 100 billion tons more carbon emissions than the second highest producer, which is the European Union–made up of 27 countries–and 150 billion tons more than the third highest CO2 producer, which is China.

According to a report by the Environmental Defense Fund, repealing this finding will cause between 9-37 million asthma attacks and between 15,400 and 58,000 premature deaths in the U.S. alone. The health risks alone raise the question, will voters begin to fight back against climate change come election time.