The new leadership of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under Donald Trump has announced a historic deregulation drive, aiming to roll back dozens of climate and environmental measures. According to EPA chief Lee Zeldin, this move will save "trillions of dollars" and grant greater freedom to American industry. The most significant step in this plan is the revision of the scientific foundations on which greenhouse gas regulations are based.
VUB glaciologist Philippe Huybrechts has strongly criticised this decision. "What he’s doing now is simply denying climate science," Huybrechts stated. "Yet it is rock-solid and has nothing to do with religion, where belief is optional." He warned that this deregulation will slow down the global transition to a sustainable climate. Meanwhile, environmental organisations are preparing legal action, and experts caution that the move could lead to economic uncertainty and fresh trade tensions with Europe.