• National Academies reports climate change’s threats are "beyond scientific dispute."
• The report rebuts the Trump administration's effort to revoke the EPA's 2009 endangerment finding.
• The National Academies highlight escalating climate-related risks to public health and welfare.
• More than 102,758 public comments were submitted regarding the EPA's proposals.
• Report reinforces existing scientific consensus on greenhouse gas emissions' dangers.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine published a significant report asserting that climate change's harms are "beyond scientific dispute." This finding directly opposes the Trump administration's recent attempts to revoke the 2009 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determination known as the “endangerment finding,” which classified greenhouse gases as threats to public health. The report emphasizes that long-term scientific observations now unequivocally confirm that greenhouse gas emissions are warming the Earth and threatening human welfare, thereby challenging the administration's dismissal of climate risks, according to latimes and cbsnews.

The report reiterates the accuracy of the 2009 endangerment finding, asserting that the understanding of climate change has been bolstered by stronger evidence since that time. This includes recognition of new threats and areas still under investigation, indicating that the United States is facing a future where climate-induced harm may continue to worsen. The findings highlight public health dangers including extreme weather events, agricultural impacts, and challenges to water availability and quality, according to thehill and cbsnews.

The EPA's proposed revocation of the endangerment finding is criticized by scientists and lawmakers alike. Prominent figures, including Democratic Senator Edward Markey and other members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation, have expressed that overturning this finding would undermine congressional intent to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. They argue that this move would provide polluters a free pass to harm American families, as regulations are essential for public health, according to thehill and latimes.

The National Academies' comprehensive report serves as an essential resource for informing the EPA as it considers the implications of its regulatory choices. EPA representatives assert criticisms of the endangerment finding's economic impact and cite an Energy Department study claiming greenhouse gases may not be as economically damaging as previously thought. However, the National Academies have stressed that the “science has stood the test of time” and must be weighed heavily in pending policy decisions, according to cbsnews and thehill.