In what is being described as a landmark ruling, the US Supreme Court has voted to limit the powers that President Biden and the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
West Virginia brought the case to the Supreme Court on behalf of 18 other states, some of which host large coal companies. Their main argument was that the EPA was not authorised to limit emissions across entire states. They also had a major economic concern about how much it would cost for their power stations to stop using coal.
The Supreme Court voted in favour of the 19 states in a 6-3 ruling. Which, given the messages and pledges coming out of COP 26 in November 2021 and combined with the global catastrophe we could face through climate change, is a devastating decision.
Attorney General Eric Schmitt for Missouri hailed it as a victory "that pushes back on the Biden EPA job-killing regulations." Regrettably, they may have missed the main point of attempting to reduce carbon emissions. The 19 States bringing the case to the Supreme Court represented 44% of US emissions in 2018 and have only managed a 7% reduction in emissions in the last 22 years. But this issue has to be viewed on a global scale, and the importance of all nations working together to secure our long-term survival is paramount.
The Supreme Court has not prevented the EPA from making regulations in the future, but it would essentially need confirmation from Congress to authorise the power to do so. This means if the US is to meet its climate targets, it needs these States to change their stance and policy for Congress to approve power for the EPA. President Biden remains resolute in attempting to tackle climate change.
