CO₂ is officially no longer a pollutant in the USA. This effectively means the abolition of the country's nationwide climate regulations. Ideological hardliners are reaping the rewards of years of lobbying.

The US Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump's administration on Thursday overturned one of the central foundations of US climate protection: the agency has revoked the "Endangerment Finding" from 2009 — the assessment established under Barack Obama that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health. This is regarded as the legal foundation for many US regulations limiting CO₂ emissions, including those for petrol and diesel cars as well as gas and coal power plants.

Trump's spokesperson Karoline Leavitt referred to it ahead of the decision as the "greatest deregulation action in American history". The move is far more than symbolic politics. It effectively abolishes nationwide climate protection in the USA.

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