As a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting children’s health from environmental hazards, the Children’s Environmental Health Network is deeply alarmed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposal to reverse the Endangerment Finding and roll back critical greenhouse gas emissions standards for new cars and trucks.

This proposal is not only a dangerous reversal of longstanding, science-based public health protections, it is also a direct threat to our children’s health and their future. For over 15 years, the Endangerment Finding has served as the legal and scientific backbone of the EPA’s duty to address greenhouse gasses as pollutants that endanger human health. Overturning it would strip away essential safeguards and open the door to increased pollution from major sources, including vehicles.

“This proposed action by the EPA is not only a dismissal of scientific evidence, public health guidance, and the lived experience of children across the country, it also works against the preventive measures that so many leaders have been fighting for for decades. Childhood cancer rates have been rising steadily since 1975 and among various risk factors, air pollution from vehicles is a proven association. Premature death, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases are also attributed to traffic-related air pollution. Actions like this will impact generations to come.”

Children are uniquely vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, including but not limited to air pollution. Their lungs are still developing, they breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults, and they are often active outdoors. This puts them at greater risk from outdoor pollution. The evidence is clear: increased greenhouse gas emissions are worsening air quality, contributing to more asthma attacks, respiratory infections, developmental disorders, and even premature death.

But the dangers do not stop with only the air they breathe. Climate change also threatens children through extreme heat, contaminated water, increased exposure to infectious diseases, mental health stress, and displacement from climate related disasters like flooding and wildfires. Weakening vehicle emissions standards will only accelerate these harms. More pollution means more days when the air is unsafe for children to breathe. It means rising rates of pediatric asthma, more emergency room visits, and greater health and economic stress on families and healthcare systems.

The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Undermining the Endangerment Finding abandons that mission, and abandons the nation’s children and future generations in the process. We strongly urge the EPA to reverse course and uphold its responsibility to the health of the most vulnerable among us.
Our children deserve environments that promote their safety and well-being, stable climates, and a healthy start in life. We stand with public health and medical leaders, scientists, families and communities across the country in calling on the EPA to prioritize health, science, and the future of our children.