Issue no. 6 - 4 February 2026

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 to protect human health and the environment, a mandate that remains its stated mission today. But this month, the agency finalized the overturning of a cornerstone federal climate protection, the “endangerment finding,” which concluded that greenhouse gas pollution endangers human health and welfare and requires regulation. 

The move comes at a moment when the scientific picture is clearer now than ever. Globally, the last ten years shattered temperature records— 2015-2025 were the 10 hottest years on record.

At the same time, countries around the world are acting on the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change and its impacts are driven primarily by fossil fuel emissions and are working to reduce the heat-trapping pollution.

Let’s break down what exactly the endangerment finding is, and 4 facts about the science and impacts to Montauk.

7 minute read.

Background: A Landmark U.S. Supreme Court Decision

The endangerment finding traces back to a 2007 Supreme Court case, Massachusetts vs. EPA. The lawsuit, brought by twelve states, various cities, and environmental organizations fought EPA’s denial to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles. Ultimately, the Supreme Court held that greenhouse gasses qualify as air pollutants under the Clean Air Act, and ruled that the Act “clearly authorizes EPA to regulate climate pollution.” The Supreme Court decision required the agency to formally assess the science and act based on its findings.

EPA Issues Clean Air Act Finding



In the following two years, the EPA conducted an expansive technical review covering hundreds of peer-reviewed studies and a rigorous public comment process. Science assessments from its own experts, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and the broader scientific community concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from extracting and burning fossil fuels drive climate change and indeed pose risks to public health and welfare. 

On December 7, 2009, the EPA signed two findings under Section 202(a) that six key greenhouse gases threaten public health and wellbeing, and that emissions of those gases from new motor vehicles contribute to that pollution. For the past 16 years, the Clean Air Act has successfully reduced emissions from vehicles, power plants, and oil and natural gas facilities.

Taking a Step Back: Understanding Climate Science

Earth’s climate depends on balance. Greenhouse gases including carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and water vapor naturally trap heat, keeping the planet warm enough for life. But human activity — predominantly, burning fossil fuels — has added large amounts of heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. As a result, Earth is now absorbing more energy than it releases back into space, creating an energy imbalance.

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns. Natural factors can influence climate, but not at the rate or scale observed today. Explore more here. 

Since the pre-industrial period (1850–1900), human activity has increased CO₂ in the atmosphere from less than 300 parts per million (ppm) before the Industrial Revolution to over 425 ppm today driving global average surface temperature to rise about 1.3°C (2.4°F). That may sound small, but because the oceans absorb enormous amounts of heat, even a modest rise reflects a significant increase in stored energy across the climate system.

We are already seeing the resulting impacts of rising sea levels, more intense heatwaves, heavier rainfall and flooding, prolonged drought, stronger hurricanes, melting ice, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss. 

What are Fossil Fuels?



“Fossil fuels,” or crude oil, natural gas, and coal, are energy sources made of hydrocarbons (hydrogen and carbon compounds). They are ancient organic material – mostly woody plants and marine microorganisms – that were buried, heated, and compressed over millions of years. Because they take geologic timescales to form and cannot be replaced at the rate we extract them, fossil fuels are finite.

When the compounds are burned for electricity, transportation, heating, or industry, carbon is released into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide (CO₂).

Climate change isn’t about short-term seasonal weather swings. Long-term warming destabilizes weather patterns and amplifies extremes.

4 Facts About What’s at Stake

1: Local Risks are Intensifying 

The scientific evidence for each major emission-driven climate harm addressed in the endangerment finding has increased “dramatically” since it was issued.

Here on the East End, impacts are far-reaching. From stronger, more damaging nor’easters and winter storms (research showing nor’easters are intensifying driven by a warming ocean) and coastal flooding, to shoreline erosion, to growing threats to our local ecosystems and wildlife. 

Warming waters and increasing rainfall fuel harmful algal blooms, contribute to eelgrass die-off, and impact local shellfish populations and other marine life, putting pressure on our bays, ponds, and coastal fisheries. At the same time, the ocean is absorbing emissions and becoming more acidic, harming sealife–particularly shellfish, disrupting marine food webs, and adding stress to the coastal ecosystems that Montauk depends on.

Climate change is also opening the door for invasive species that harm our unique local environment. As one example, warmer winters allow pests that once couldn’t survive here, like the Southern Pine Beetle, to migrate up from southern states and spread. The insects burrow under tree bark and cut off nutrients from large local pitch pine forests, which increases fire risk and damages native habitat. 

And these local impacts don’t even touch the damage from extracting and transporting (think, oil spills) fossil fuels: drilling, fracking, and mining disrupt ecosystems, fragmenting habitat and sending toxic runoff into the environment.

2: Air Pollution from Emissions Impacts our Physical Health 

There is no doubt about it: emissions harm human health. 

Air pollution is deadly. Globally, it is responsible for more than 6.5 million deaths each year. Medical authorities including the American Public Health Association and the American Lung Association have warned that weakening climate protections increases risks of asthma, heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, heat illness, and premature death. Burning fossil fuels releases not only carbon dioxide, but also pollutants such as soot, mercury, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides, which are linked to neurological damage, cancer, and chronic respiratory disease. 

According to an Environmental Defense Fund analysis, rolling back the endangerment finding and clean vehicle standards will increase climate pollution in the U.S. three-fold, by as much as 18 billion metric tons, resulting in as many as 58,000 early deaths and 37 million more asthma attacks by 2055.

3: Economic Impacts & Mixed Signals for Business

Rolling back the endangerment finding is often framed as “regulatory relief,” but in fact, the economic risks locally and nationally are vast. 

On the East End, our economy depends on a healthy environment: climate impacts threaten beaches and tourism, real estate and insurance markets, and the local businesses that rely on them. Nationally, fossil fuel–driven climate change and air pollution already impose over $820 billion per year in health costs. Conversely, a study published in Nature Climate Change found that reducing fossil fuel use can effectively pay for itself through health savings.

Extreme heat, drought, and flooding also disrupt crops and supply chains, driving up food prices for families.

Economists have a shorthand for all of this damage called the “social cost of carbon” — basically, the price tag for the property damage, crop losses, and premature deaths caused by each ton of carbon pollution. The federal government has been using about $51 per ton, but a more recent EPA analysis suggested the real number may be almost four times higher, closer to $190 per ton.

At the same time, the global economy is transitioning to renewables with or without us. Major global investments in Europe and Asia are building the industries that will lead future markets. Weakening climate standards in Washington sends mixed signals to business:

• States are making a patchwork of rules making it difficult for businesses to function across borders.
• Capital is flowing toward clean energy technologies worldwide, and failure to invest means ceding competitive advantage.
• The confusion makes it harder for U.S. companies to plan, and risks leaving us a step behind.

4: The Good News

Despite federal rollbacks, national and global movement away from fossil fuels persists, and economies are on the side of clean energy. Since 2013, the cost of solar power has fallen about 87% and battery storage over 90%, thanks to economies of scale and rapid innovation, making renewables the cheapest option for much of the world’s new power supply. In 2025, the EU generated more electricity from clean energy than fossil fuels in a historic milestone. 

Here in the U.S., clean energy investments have created hundreds of thousands of new jobs and billions in private capital. Despite headwinds, States including New York—and many cities and private entities—are pressing ahead to reduce reliance on fossil fuels with offshore wind, grid upgrades, and building electrification. In essence, markets see where the future is going and are scaling up clean technologies accordingly.

The fight also continues in the courts: this month, a coalition of public health and environmental organizations filed suit challenging EPA’s repeal of the endangerment finding. The case may take years and could reach the Supreme Court, but the science behind the finding remains strong—and prior Supreme Court decisions have already affirmed EPA’s authority to regulate climate pollution.

Have a climate question you’d like clarified? No question is too small.

Thanks for exploring with us,

R Holloway