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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has lost some of its power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The landmark ruling by the US Supreme Court represents a major setback to President Joe Biden's climate plans. The case against the EPA was brought by West Virginia on behalf of 18 other mostly Republican-led states and some of the nation's largest coal companies. These 19 states were worried their power sectors would be forced to move away from using coal, at a severe economic cost. In a 6-3 ruling, the court sided with the conservative states and fossil-fuel companies, agreeing that the EPA did not have the authority to impose such sweeping measures. Leah Stokes is Associate Professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California. She believes that this ruling is a "win for the fossil fuel industry". However, she says that although the court didn't go as far in dismantling existing regulation as they could have and the Biden administration retains the right to regulate carbon pollution, this is still a setback in the fight against climate change that is seen to be contributing to such devastating events such as heatwaves, wildfires, hurricanes and floods. Photo: A chimney at a cogeneration plant in New Jersey, US Credit: Getty Images
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