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CO2 is causing climate change. Why did the U.S. stop regulating emissions?

Carbon dioxide and other pollutant billows from a stack at PacifiCorp’s coal-fired Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. (Natalie Behring/AP)
Natalie Behring/AP
Carbon dioxide and other pollutant billows from a stack at PacifiCorp’s coal-fired Naughton Power Plant in Kemmerer, Wyo. (Natalie Behring/AP)

The consensus among the world’s scientists is that greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide and methane — are driving climate change, resulting in droughts, storms, heat and rising sea levels.

It surprised many when the Trump administration recently revoked the endangerment finding that required the government to limit emissions from power plants, cars and other industry sources. But it came as less of a surprise to a group of conservatives who worked for nearly a decade laying the groundwork for dismantling legislation and regulation related to climate change.

Host Robin Young talks to New York Times reporter Lisa Friedman, whose article, “Trump Allies Near ‘Total Victory’ in Wiping out U.S. Climate Regulation,” co-authored by Maxine Joselow, takes a deep dive into the work of four anti-climate change operatives.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2026 WBUR

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