Health Experts Warn Climate Policy Erosion

On Feb. 12, 2026, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the department’s decision to rescind the Endangerment Finding, a 2009 rule that enabled the EPA to regulate six key well-mixed greenhouse gases, including CO2 and methane, as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. The EPA’s announcement says it is repealing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions regulations for all motor vehicles and engines from 2012 to 2027 and beyond.

Given that the transportation sector accounts for one of the largest sources of GHG emissions in the U.S., this rescission would represent a major setback to efforts to reverse the detrimental effects of climate change. 

As the 2009 Endangerment Finding details, CO2 is an especially concerning air pollutant because it does not immediately break down into smaller molecules and can linger in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. This means that even if the rollback is eventually reversed under the next administration, the consequences could be felt for generations to come.

Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action (MiCCA) issued the following statement regarding the human health implications of this decision that puts the economic interests of polluters ahead of the public’s wellbeing and the stability of our environment:

The EPA says the repeal will save Americans taxpayers $1.3 trillion, but it cites no sources in its announcement to support this claim. Meanwhile, the agency is overlooking the wide range of negative economic effects of allowing greenhouse gas emissions to run rampant, which directly hurt human health as a result of tailpipe pollution and contribute to more extreme weather events as the planet heats up.

“Rolling back the EPA’s ability to regulate planet-warming air pollutants at a time when extreme heat and humidity coupled with wildfire smoke has become a common summer-day occurrence in Michigan is unconscionable. Doctors, nurses, and first responders know that these extreme conditions make air quality worse and exacerbate underlying health conditions, bringing more and more patients to our offices, clinics, and emergency departments,” stated Dr. Elizabeth (Lisa) Del Buono, founder and board chair of Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. “But it doesn’t have to be this way when there are cheaper and more abundant alternative fuel sources like solar and wind that don’t make people sick.”

“Science has linked the gases that come out of tailpipes (CO2, methane and nitrous oxide) to a plethora of health issues including asthma, COPD, cardiovascular diseases, premature births and neurological conditions. Increased exposure to these gases results in increased rates of hospitalizations due to exacerbation of chronic health conditions,” said Amy Rogghe, Physician Assistant and founder of the Michigan Electric Vehicle Alliance. “Rolling back the EPA’s regulation standards for GHG emissions from motor vehicles is detrimental to public health, especially in frontline communities where people are already vulnerable due to poorer air quality. My patients will suffer, your loved ones will suffer and the damage done is not quickly reversible.”

“My patients with asthma and COPD really notice when the air quality is bad. They come to the clinic asking for more inhalers to ease their breathing—and some end up in the ER,” noted Dr. Alexander Rabin, a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Michigan. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen an increase in the number of days with poor air quality and excessive heat. I’m disappointed in the EPA for cutting its ability to regulate emissions that contribute to global warming and air pollution, making life worse for our most vulnerable patients.”

“Prevention is important in many aspects of our lives. As a primary care doctor I see the impact of the health system making decisions to cut costs. The EPA’s claim to lower cost for consumers is a shortsighted perspective that does not acknowledge the long term consequences of reckless short term goals,” said Dr. Aisha Harris, family medicine doctor at Harris Family Health in Flint, MI. “Decreased regulation of greenhouse gas emissions will increase the exposure and burden that greenhouse gases have on our health, which would increase health care complications and costs while also worsening health care access and disparities. This decision will cost us more financially, economically, and in life years.”

“Attempting to roll back the Endangerment Finding will not, despite EPA’s claims, lower costs to consumers. Consumers, or as I like to call them “people,” will pay in the form of poorer health,” wrote Kindra Weid, RN, BSN, MPH, who works in Chelsea, MI. “We see this daily in the hospital – people are admitted for acute exacerbations of their chronic heart and/or lung conditions related to extreme heat, poorer air quality, and the consequences of power outages related to extreme weather. Though these outcomes are difficult to measure (e.g., missed days of work, hospital bills, lower quality of life, etc.), they are impactful and can cause death and extreme hardship. In 2025 alone, it is estimated that flooding, wildfires, and extreme weather have caused $250 billion in economic damage. Surely, removing these protections will result in further deaths and damage.”

“The Endangerment Finding is the scientific and legal foundation that allows the EPA to protect ALL Americans from the very real health dangers of greenhouse gas pollution that rests on decades of peer-reviewed science. The evidence is overwhelming: greenhouse gases endanger public health and welfare by driving climate change, worsening extreme weather, threatening food and water supplies, and increasing health risks from heat, air pollution, and disease,” said David Freedman, M.Ed., with Community Leadership Consulting. “Weakening the finding ignores and the testimony that was delivered at the public hearings but also the lived reality being faced today: billions of dollars for disaster relief, healthcare costs and in lost lives from heat waves, wildfires, floods, storms and premature death. The EPA has made a decision that poses a profound and grave danger to human health, to our economy and my children’s and grandchildren’s future.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2007 that the EPA has the authority to regulate GHGs as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act. In making that decision, the Court recognized GHGs endanger public health and welfare due to their role in global warming, which later served as the basis for the Endangerment Finding. 

If the current rollback is successful, there likely will be legal challenges, but we hope the EPA will follow evidence-based decision-making and protect the Endangerment Finding.

Brief overview of climate change’s broad health impacts

The Lancet Report, the World Health Organization, and the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health named climate change as the “greatest public health threat of our generation.” Studies estimate that the rate of climate change driven deaths between 250,000 and 700,000 per year by 2030. This number grows as scientists continue to measure, and does not include the more than 8 million deaths per year caused by air pollution from burning fossil fuels. 

In Michigan, following health impacts can be expected to become increasingly common:

• Increasing burden of infectious disease, including Lyme and other tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses 

• Asthma and respiratory challenges due to worsening air pollution from wildfire smoke and increasing heat and humidity

• Increased flooding, causing harm through infrastructure failure, housing insecurity, and long-term exposure to mold 

• Failure of essential medical equipment and exposure to extreme temperatures due to increasing power failures as storms grow worse

• https://www.michigancca.com/post/media-advisory-michigan-health-professionals-say-epa-endangerment-finding-repeal-is-a-major-hit-to