Washington: The Trump administration has taken its most aggressive step yet to roll back climate regulations by revoking a key scientific finding that has underpinned U.S. climate policy for more than a decade.

On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency finalised a rule rescinding the 2009 “endangerment finding” – a government declaration issued during the Obama administration that concluded carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases pose a danger to public health and welfare. The finding has formed the legal basis for nearly all climate regulations enacted under the Clean Air Act, including limits on emissions from motor vehicles, power plants and other major pollution sources.

By overturning the endangerment finding, the administration is effectively removing the legal foundation for existing greenhouse gas standards for cars and trucks, and opening the door to wider rollbacks affecting stationary sources such as power plants and oil and gas facilities. Experts say the move could trigger extensive legal challenges and would have far-reaching implications for climate policy.

ALSO READ | Trump to meet Xi in April, touts ‘very good’ US-China relations

Ann Carlson, an environmental law professor at the UCLA School of Law, said reversing the finding will “raise more havoc” than other regulatory rollbacks undertaken by the Trump administration.

ALSO READ | ‘I didn't make a mistake,’ says Trump as racist video of Obamas is taken down after backlash

Former President Barack Obama criticised the decision, warning that it would leave Americans “less safe, less healthy.” In a post on X, he said: “Without it, we’ll be less safe, less healthy and less able to fight climate change – all so the fossil fuel industry can make even more money.”