Nicholas Goldberg: Americans don’t care about climate change. Here’s how to wake them up.
Nicholas Goldberg is a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute in Washington, D.C.
When we think of environmental protection, we often think of federal and state authorities.
But a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General sheds light on another powerful tool that some in government are using to tackle climate change: the citizen’s revolt.
The EPA Inspector General’s investigation was launched after the agency determined that the agency’s science and data on climate change were lacking. (EPA)
The Inspector General’s report found that the science and data supporting EPA regulations on greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards had been “deficient, at best,” and that there was “not sufficient evidence” to justify certain agency actions.
In the report, EPA and Department of Energy Office of Inspector General found that agency actions were based on false assumptions and flawed analyses — and that the agency’s science and data on climate change were “at best,” deficient.
But the report also found that the science and data showing that global warming was occurring and that human activity was causing it were more than adequate. This finding was backed by the Office of Management and Budget, which reviewed the agency’s climate data and found “that there is no conflict between the Administrator’s decision to promulgate this action and the scientific data and analysis upon which he based his decision.” That finding was “generally consistent” with internal agency “decision-support materials,” the report concluded.
“This is a watershed moment for the climate issue — our decision to make clear to the American people why we don’t think global warming is a significant problem for humankind,” the report concluded.
The Inspector General�
