EPA Removes Human Activity from Climate‑Change Causes List

What the update looks like

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently revised a webpage that enumerates the drivers of climate change. In the new version, the once‑prominent entry “human activity” has been omitted, leaving only natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, solar variations, and oceanic cycles.

Why the change matters

The removal has sparked a wave of criticism from scientists, environmental groups, and policy analysts who argue that the omission downplays the overwhelming scientific consensus that anthropogenic emissions are the primary catalyst of global warming. “Erasing human influence from an official resource is misleading and undermines decades of research,” said Dr. Maya Patel, a climate‑science professor at the University of Washington.

Possible motivations

Critics suggest the edit may be politically motivated, pointing to recent legislative pressures to curb the EPA’s regulatory authority. Others note that the agency’s internal memo cited “clarity” and “streamlining” as reasons for the revision, though no detailed justification was provided.

Reactions from the scientific community

Several leading organizations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), issued statements urging the EPA to restore the full list of causes. “Accurate public information is essential for informed decision‑making,” the AAAS emphasized in a press release.

What’s next?

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have been filed to uncover the internal discussions that led to the edit. Meanwhile, advocacy groups are mobilizing petitions and social‑media campaigns demanding that the EPA reinstate the reference to human activity as a dominant factor in climate change.