Climate 411

The Science Is Clear on the Dangers of Planet-Heating Pollution

By Lisa Dilling / Published: July 11, 2025

This post was co-authored by EDF Climate Scientist Fiona Lo

The Trump EPA is now reconsidering, and reportedly intends to reverse, the Endangerment Finding – the science-based determination that climate pollution harms public health and welfare. That’s in spite of mountains of scientific evidence confirming that climate pollution is driving extreme weather events and putting people at risk.

The scientific evidence was clear that climate pollution endangers public health and welfare when EPA issued the Endangerment Finding in 2009 – but it is even clearer now:

Read More »

Also posted in Basic Science of Global Warming, Clean Air Act, Extreme Weather, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, News, Policy, Science / Authors: / Comments are closed

An Executive Order is attempting to interfere with ironclad state authority to protect people from pollution

By Vickie Patton / Published: April 9, 2025

States have broad and bedrock authority to protect people from pollution – and President Trump’s Executive Order issued yesterday instructing the Attorney General of the United States to interfere with foundational state prerogatives to protect people from harm cannot change that.

The Executive Order was one of four the President signed yesterday. It is revealing that this order attacking state action came in tandem with another Executive Order that showcased his efforts, certain to fail, to force the American people to use expensive and high-polluting coal. That coal order would make President Trump squarely responsible for imposing a massive tax on the American people in the form of higher energy prices, as it is well established that coal power is costly before even factoring in its roles in contributing to deadly soot and smog and in fueling the deadly fires, heat waves, and storms caused by climate change.

Read More »

Also posted in California, Cities and states, Clean Air Act, News, Policy / Authors: / Comments are closed

Governor Youngkin’s RGGI rollback is wrongheaded and unpopular

By Peter Della-Rocca / Published: April 24, 2023
Richmond, Virginia

Photo credit: Canva

Since joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in 2020, Virginia has started capping harmful pollution from power plants, growing clean energy jobs across the state and providing more than $500 million in investments for flood resilience in communities and money-saving energy efficiency in households.

But since his first day in office, Governor Youngkin has been determined to pull Virginia out of this proven climate program that has been implemented by Democrat and Republican governors alike.

The administration’s rollback threatens progress right as the threats from climate change – and opportunities from clean energy investment – are clearer than ever for the Commonwealth.

Virginia’s Air Pollution Control Board voted in favor of continuing with the withdrawal, moving the process forward, but two major roadblocks continue to stand in the way: The overwhelming majority of Virginians said they oppose the repeal, and neither the Youngkin administration’s Air Pollution Control Board nor Department of Environmental Quality has the legal authority to exit the program.

The most recent steps in the RGGI repeal process shine a spotlight on how misguided and out-of-touch the administration’s climate rollback is.

Read More »

Also posted in Cities and states, Policy / Comments are closed

Pinterest sets the bar in the fight against climate disinformation

By Lauren Guite / Published: April 26, 2022

This post was co-authored by Michael Khoo of Friends of the Earth

Climate disinformation on digital platforms is a serious threat to the public support needed to solve the climate crisis. It has been so effective at delaying climate action, it was called out for the first time by the UN’s climate report and highlighted by President Obama. But we aren’t doing nearly enough to stop it.

We see a small number of outlets creating the vast majority of climate disinformation, amplified by the platform algorithms that force conspiratorial lies onto mainstream audiences. We have seen major events like the fossil fuel infrastructure failure in Texas’ 2021 winter storm be twisted into false attacks on renewable energy. As Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen showed in her release of 10,000 documents, companies like Facebook know these problems exist, and are doing precious little to stop it.

That’s why we’re excited that this month both Pinterest and Twitter (newly at the helm of Elon Musk) unveiled strong new climate misinformation policies. EDF and FOE, co-chairs of the Climate Disinformation Coalition, worked with both companies over the last year to help develop these policies. Pinterest’s policy has a strong definition of climate disinformation and sets the gold standard in the industry. Twitter’s policy addresses the very real problem of the monetization of climate disinformation through advertising. Both are living proof that all social media companies can and should do much more to stop the spread of climate change disinformation.

Read More »

Also posted in News / Read 1 Response

Snowstorm of Misinformation: A Consumer’s Guide to Shoveling Out of EV Falsehoods

By Antonio Peronace / Published: January 14, 2022


My Tesla Model Y charging at a public charging station the morning after the recent snowstorm in Virginia.

EV misinformation has reared its head again, but this time it seems to be stuck spinning its wheels in the snow. You may have seen a recent Washington Post editorial that expressed some concern about electric vehicle (EV) performance in cold conditions and falsely claimed that vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE) are better. Prompted by a false anti-EV meme that’s been circulating on the internet (about a worried Tesla driver stuck in Virginia’s recent 48-mile snowy traffic jam), the editorial is sadly based on the author’s longtime bias against EVs–rather than on EV facts or science.

Don’t be fooled by skepticism towards unfamiliar tech. Electric vehicles not only keep pace with gas-guzzling cars in the snow–in some ways, they’re even better.

So, here are some key points for consumers to consider when you’re knee-deep in this type of EV misinformation this winter season (from a car guy who grew up dealing with snowy winters in New England, but now lives in Virginia, and drives an EV… even in the snow):

Read More »

Also posted in Cars and Pollution, News, Policy, Science / Comments are closed

Eleven facts about clean vehicles to counter gas guzzling lobbyists

By EDF Blogs / Published: February 11, 2021

The average American household spends about $175 a month on gasoline. That means billions of dollars to oil companies, refiners, and others — and a huge incentive for them to block policies that move America to clean, zero-emissions electric vehicles.

We’re already seeing a coordinated push to stop our leaders from boosting American clean cars, trucks and buses — even though these policies will create jobs and a more just and equitable economy, clean the air, and are popular with the public.

EDF experts have assembled these facts to counter the lobbyists who want to make sure Americans keep paying at the pump.

1. Moving to clean electric vehicles will help America win the race for good jobs today and tomorrow. 

The question isn’t electric vehicles versus gas-powered vehicles — the global industry is already moving to EVs, and spending at least $257 billion this decade to make the switch. The issue is whether American workers will get these jobs. We can build these vehicles in places like Hamtramck, MI and Spartanburg, SC or have them shipped to us from Hamburg and Shanghai. Switching to zero-emissions electric trucks, buses, and cars will create jobs today and help us compete with Europe and China in this rapidly expanding market. Read More »

Also posted in Cars and Pollution, Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, News, Policy / Comments are closed