EPA Updates Climate Website, Removes Reference to Humans Causing Climate Change

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has altered its public-facing webpage on the causes of climate change, removing previous direct references to human activity. Instead, it now cites natural activity including volcanic and solar activity, changes in the Earth's orbit and changes in naturally occurring carbon dioxide concentrations.

The Details: The EPA removed the entire "causes of global warming" section last week that detailed human-caused greenhouse gases, specifically that "burning fossil fuels changes the climate more than any other human activity." Another statement from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is also gone; it previously said "it is extremely likely (> 95%) that human activities have been the dominant cause of that warming." While the page maintains "recent climate changes cannot be explained by natural causes alone," it now mentions human activity in a comparative context, saying "human activities emit more than 100 times as much carbon dioxide as volcanoes each year." An EPA spokesperson stated the agency "no longer takes marching orders from the climate cult."

For Context: The change contradicts the common scientific consensus that climate change is primarily driven by human activity. It follows a broader governmental push by the Trump administration to promote oil and gas production, and changes to climate information from other departments. Early this year, the Energy Department released a report downplaying the economic damage of CO2-induced warming and suggesting mitigation may be counterproductive. Last week, the science journal Nature (Center bias) also retracted a 2024 study projecting severe economic damage from climate change, citing errors found in the data. 

How the Media Covered It: The story wasn't covered much by mainstream media. Coverage that did exist was similar across the political spectrum. Left-rated outlets, including The Washington Post (Lean Left), New York Times (Lean Left) and CNN (Lean Left) highlighted criticism of the move and quoted scientists who said it contradicted years of research. An opinion in The Los Angeles Times (Lean Left) said the move "embarrasses the US." The Hill (Center) wrote the Trump administration has continuously "sought to undermine both the government's consideration of climate change and its climate action." The story was covered less by right-leaning outlets, however Washington Times (Lean Right), Newsmax (Right) and Breitbart (Right) shared the same Associated Press (Left) article which noted scientists call the change "misleading" and primarily quoted people opposed to the move. 

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