Ashburn, VA

68° F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

68°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel

News / Climate

Supreme Court rules to curb EPA authority on greenhouse gas emissions

The nation's top court delivered a 6-3 ruling along partisan lines Thursday that limits how the EPA can use the Clean Air Act to reduce pollutants as the U.N.'s top climate body warns of irreversible damage to the planet.

By Zachary Rosenthal, AccuWeather staff writer

Published Jun. 30, 2022 12:28 PM EDT | Updated Jun. 30, 2022 9:58 PM EDT

Copied
Watch now

Climate scientists, environmental lawyers and air quality experts are weighing in on the future of emission reduction initiatives.

On Thursday morning, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to limit the Environmental Protection Agency's authority to curb carbon dioxide emissions, according to reporting from The Associated Press.

The decision, authored by Chief Justice John Roberts and made along partisan lines with the conservative justices in the majority, greatly suppresses the EPA's power in regulating and reducing the amount of pollutants emitted by power plants.

The ruling is a significant setback to the fight against climate change, as the EPA will no longer possess the authority to limit said emissions without a clearer grant of power from Congress.

The majority opinion argues that the EPA would overstep the authority granted to it by the Clean Air Act of by enacting a policy requiring states to reduce emissions created as a byproduct of electrical power generation largely by shifting away from coal power plants, according to The New York Times. Roberts argues that Congress did not intend to grant the EPA the authority to regulate the coal industry so strictly.

If no emissions are cut, global surface temperatures are estimated to be 4 degrees Celsius warmer than they currently are by the year 2100. If substantial emission cuts are made, however, global surface temperatures are expected to be less than 2 degrees C warmer by 2100. (Climate Central)

“Capping carbon dioxide emissions at a level that will force a nationwide transition away from the use of coal to generate electricity may be a sensible ‘solution to the crisis of the day,'" Roberts wrote in his opinion for the court, adding Congress must pass a law instructing such a transition.

Justice Elena Kagan, who wrote a dissent against the decision, called climate change "the most pressing environmental challenge of our time" and wrote that Thursday's decision strips the EPA of the power Congress had granted it back when the Clean Air Act was passed.

"The Court appoints itself—instead of Congress or the expert agency—the decisionmaker on climate policy. I cannot think of many things more frightening," Kagan wrote.

Several Democratic politicians spoke out against the Supreme Court's decision, arguing that it places the country, and the world, at risk of worsening the climate crisis.

Catastrophic. A filibuster carveout is not enough. We need to reform or do away with the whole thing, for the sake of the planet. https://t.co/if8PIbfs42

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 30, 2022

"The Supreme Court sided with the fossil fuel industry, kneecapping the federal government’s basic ability to tackle climate change,” Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said in a statement.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took to Twitter to air her grievances, calling the decision "catastrophic," and wrote that changes to the structure of the Supreme Court may be needed to protect the entire planet.

On the other side of the aisle, Republican legislators celebrated the decision as returning power to the legislative branch. The EPA is an executive agency created by Congress, meaning that Congress had deferred some policy decisions on the environment to bureaucrats within the executive branch, which is headed by the President.

The Supreme Court Building is seen in Washington, Tuesday, March 28, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

According to The New York Times, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the decision affirms that "only the people’s representatives in Congress – not unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats – may write our nation’s laws."

Earlier this year, the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) issued a grave warning, stating that the planet is inching closer to irreversible damage caused by climate change if nothing is done to mitigate the warming of Earth's climate.

"Climate change is killing people," report co-author Helen Adams of King's College London said. "Yes, things are bad, but actually, the future depends on us, not the climate."

More on the climate:

Drought and triple-digit temperatures result in disaster for farmers
Phoenix turns to ‘cool corridors’ to combat urban heat island effects
Sinking mid-Atlantic coast will increase impacts of rising sea level

Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.

Report a Typo
Comments that don't add to the conversation may be automatically or manually removed by Facebook or AccuWeather. Profanity, personal attacks, and spam will not be tolerated.
Comments
Hide Comments

Weather News

Weather Forecasts

Western states to sizzle this week as heat builds

Aug. 15, 2022
Recreation

Odd clouds doing 'the darndest things' hover over Chicago skyscrapers

Aug. 12, 2022
Astronomy

Saturn opposition: Why August is perfect for spotting the ringed plane...

Aug. 15, 2022
Severe Weather

Risk for flooding downpours across Central states early week

Aug. 15, 2022
Climate

Arctic warming nearly 4 times as fast as entire globe, study says

Aug. 11, 2022
Weather News

Bystanders spring into action seconds before sinkhole swallows car

Aug. 12, 2022
Weather News

Army identifies 2 Fort Benning soldiers killed by fallen tree in Ga.

Aug. 11, 2022
Recreation

Level up your barbecue game this summer with these gas grills

Jul. 15, 2022
Recreation

Why a zero-gravity chair is what you should add to your yard this year

Jul. 19, 2022
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Weather News

‘Chocolate waterfall’ roars to life after summer storms

2 days ago

Weather Forecasts

Clash of heat, fall-like air to spawn storms across Plains

45 minutes ago

Hurricane

Tropical rainfall funnels into Texas and Mexico, threatening flooding

4 hours ago

Weather News

Woman, 63, dies after being impaled by windswept beach umbrella

2 days ago

Weather News

Exploring the curious case of the 'exploding' tree in Portland

2 days ago

More Stories

Featured Topic

Local Arthritis Forecast

Featured Stories

Explore this hurricane-beaten ghost town where time has all but stoppe... Webb space telescope glimpses most distant star known to exist The tools you need to maintain your garden through the rest of summer
AccuWeather Climate Supreme Court rules to curb EPA authority on greenhouse gas emissions
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK