THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES OF SCIENCES, ENGINEERING, AND MEDICINE
Division on Earth and Life Studies, Health and Medicine Division, and
the National Research Council Executive Office
Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, Board on Health Sciences Policy, and Climate Crossroads
Committee on Anthropogenic Greenhouse Gases and U.S. Climate: Evidence and Impacts
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Congressional Briefing
Wednesday, September 17, 2025 – 10:00 a.m.
via Zoom
on
Effects of Human-Caused Greenhouse Gas Emissions on
U.S. Climate, Health, and Welfare
This new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine summarizes the latest evidence on whether greenhouse gas emissions threaten public health and welfare in the United States.
The impetus for this report was a notice of proposed rulemaking issued in August 2025 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicating its intention to rescind the 2009 Finding of Endangerment and Cause or Contribute Findings for Greenhouse Gases Under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act. Recognizing that significantly more evidence is available today, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine launched this study to review newly available scientific evidence on the topics included in a Technical Support Document that EPA prepared to inform its decision-making on the finding.
The report’s authoring committee found that EPA’s 2009 finding that human-caused emissions of greenhouse gases adversely affect human health and welfare was accurate, has stood the test of time, and is now reinforced by even stronger evidence. Today, many of EPA’s conclusions are further supported by longer observational records and multiple new lines of evidence. Moreover, research has uncovered additional risks that were not apparent in 2009.
This briefing was for members of Congress and congressional staff only. The report was publicly released on September 17, 2025 and can be found, in its entirety, on the Web site of the National Academies Press.