AI, Climate, and where are the guardrails? By Julie Peller, Ph.D.

Green Junction

The recent news that August 2026 was the warmest ever recorded was not surprising, given reports of record temperatures across the globe throughout the summer. Concurrently and inexplicably, the United States leadership announced plans to allow the release of more greenhouse gases that exacerbate the climate crisis. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), created to “to protect human health and the environment,” issued a plan this month to remove restrictions on climate pollution emitted from power plants.

To effectively address climate change and reduce global threats, responsible governments must restrict the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from major sources. Power plants that generate electricity in the United States are the second largest emitters of carbon dioxide. The decision to remove limits on these emissions runs contrary to requirements to protect human and environmental health and a viable planet for future generations.

Earlier this year, the Supreme Court dismantled the legal foundation for regulation of greenhouse gases. The EPA website states “Absent this finding, EPA lacks statutory authority under Section 202(a) of the Clean Air Act to prescribe standards for GHG emissions.” These major shifts by the EPA align with other decisions over the past 18 months that eliminate or lessen restrictions on greenhouse gas standards for i) car tailpipe emissions and ii) chemicals used in air-conditioners and refrigerators that are strong greenhouse gases.

The prize-winning economist Paul Krugman summarized the threats posed by current leadership: “On AI and climate, it’s the same story of mass destruction.” President Nixon created the US EPA in 1970 in response to pollution threats to environmental and human health. To serve the public, the greater good, and our Common Home, laws based on sound science and clear evidence are critical.

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has written a weekly column, The Green Junction, for the past few years and is helping move the call of Laudato Si to action. Her research interests include advanced oxidation in aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (including Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.