By Ariel Huang
Global temperatures are rapidly rising. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, temperatures have risen by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit from 1901 to 2020. Glaciers are shrinking, ice is disappearing, sea levels are rising, and the amount of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere has increased by 40% since the Industrial Revolution.
The U.S. EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) mission is to protect human health and support the environment. In response to climate change, the EPA has undertaken multiple initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce the United States' carbon footprint. and increase energy efficiency.
A Supreme Court ruling in late June of 2022 has had critical implications on the role of the EPA in the future. The EPA has sought to oversee and limit the carbon emitted from existing power plants.
In the 6-3 ruling, the ultimate decision was that the EPA does not have the authority to "devise carbon emissions caps". Chief Justice John Roberts, a part of the conservative majority, wrote that “there is little reason to think Congress assigned such decisions to the Agency, [and] a decision of such magnitude and consequence rests with[in] Congress itself.” The three liberal judges dissented. Justice Elena Kagan, one of the liberal judges, stated that the decision is reducing the agency's power, a power given by Congress to address the most pressing environmental challenge of our time.
This ruling will have a profound impact on the future of the EPA. By curbing the EPA’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants and setting a precedent, the court has made itself the sole decider for action against climate action. This decision has given the Supreme Court a tremendous amount of power.
The case will also have devastating impacts on the environment. Scientists around the world have been warning us about the quickening pace of global warming. This Supreme Court decision directly limits action against the same. Congressional Democrats, such as Democratic Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona of the House Natural Resources Committee, have expressed their fury at the environmental consequences of this ruling. Rep. Raúl Grijalva of Arizona states that the court has “sentenced our planet to death," adding that, “this decision – and all of the decisions this week – will be directly responsible for the harm and deaths of countless Americans.”
The American public has also fought back against the EPA ruling. People are protesting and sharing posts with information concerning the case. One of the many cases that have split America up, the 6-3 ruling is a decision that will impact the lives of every single American and our gradually warming planet.
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