Sanity Check

For nearly two decades, the EPA’s 2009 Endangerment Finding has served as a legal foundation for federal regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. Its history begins with the Supreme Court’s 2007 decision in Massachusetts v. EPA, continues through the Obama administration’s Endangerment Finding, and extends through the greenhouse gas regulations adopted under subsequent administrations.

In February 2026, the Trump EPA rescinded the Endangerment Finding as it applied to motor vehicles and repealed the federal greenhouse gas standards that followed from it. In September, EPA finalized a major repeal of greenhouse gas requirements for fossil-fuel-fired power plants while proposing to rescind the remaining greenhouse gas findings and regulations governing the power sector.

What does all of this mean for federal climate regulation?

In this episode, we trace the legal history behind the Endangerment Finding, examine the scientific and regulatory arguments surrounding it, and explain how a provision of the Clean Air Act became the foundation for decades of federal greenhouse gas regulation. We also examine what the 2026 EPA actions actually changed, what remains in place, and what Congress, the courts, states, and future administrations could still do.

The Endangerment Finding has been at the center of the legal battle over greenhouse gas regulation for years. Understanding its history helps explain why its reversal represents such a significant shift in federal environmental policy—and why the future of that policy remains unsettled.

https://www.epa.gov/climate-change/endangerment-and-cause-or-contribute-findings-greenhouse-gases-under-section-202a

https://apnews.com/article/epa-power-plants-trump-coal-gas-climate-cac1c2c75f8656d8eaf5f0a240edae15

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What can a devastating Himalayan avalanche teach us about climate change—and about the growing role of artificial intelligence in scientific research?

In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines claims that a catastrophic 2026 avalanche in Nepal was caused by human-induced climate change. He explains why individual weather and climate events cannot simply be attributed to climate change and puts the disaster in historical context by comparing it with other major glacial and rock-ice avalanches.

But the discussion takes an unexpected turn when Dr. Legates examines the research paper that prompted his investigation. The paper was generated entirely by AI and explicitly acknowledged that it had not undergone peer review or human verification. That raises a much larger question: When AI conducts research and produces convincing scientific prose, who is responsible for the claims it makes?

Dr. Legates discusses both the promise and limitations of AI as a research tool, arguing that AI can be a powerful force multiplier—but that human expertise, critical thinking, and verification cannot be outsourced.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/413842707_The_Nepal_Avalanche_26_Aug_2026_an_unprecedented_event_A_comparative_historical_assessment

https://www.stimson.org/2026/a-cascading-disaster-on-the-china-nepal-border-what-to-know-about-the-august-2026-rasuwa-flood/

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The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear one of the most consequential climate-related cases in the country this October: Suncor Energy v. County Commissioners of Boulder County. At issue is whether cities and counties can sue oil and gas companies for alleged damages caused by climate change, or whether federal law prevents state courts from hearing these claims.

Boulder County and the City of Boulder are seeking damages they say are needed to address flooding, wildfires, drought, and other costs they attribute to fossil fuel use. The energy companies argue that climate change is a global issue that cannot be addressed through a patchwork of local lawsuits that could effectively dictate national energy policy.

In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the history of the Boulder case, the arguments before the Supreme Court, and what the justices' decision could mean for dozens of similar lawsuits across the country. He also takes a step back to ask a more fundamental question: Who should be responsible for the costs attributed to climate change, and can we really attribute every flood, fire, drought, or other environmental event to fossil fuel emissions?

Whatever the Court decides, this case could have enormous consequences for the energy industry, local governments, and the future of climate litigation in America.

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/supreme-court/4675555/supreme-court-next-term-cases-climate-immigration/

https://www.oyez.org/cases/2026/25-170

https://www.scotusblog.com/cases/suncor-energy-inc-v-county-commissioners-of-boulder-county/

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Millions of Americans believe that everything from groceries and cars to homes and vacations has become impossibly expensive. But are things actually less affordable than they were in the past, or are we measuring affordability the wrong way?

In this episode of Sanity Check, Cal Beisner revisits a question raised during his recent appearance on David Wheaton’s The Christian Worldview: Why are so many Americans, particularly younger generations, increasingly attracted to socialism? One commonly cited reason is the perception that the American economy no longer provides an affordable path to a good life.

Beisner examines that claim by looking beyond sticker prices and comparing the cost of goods over time in inflation-adjusted dollars, quality, quantity, amenities, and—most importantly—the amount of time an average worker must labor to afford them. Using housing as a primary example, he shows how dramatically the size, quality, comfort, and amenities of the average American home have changed over the past 75 years.

From housing and automobiles to air travel, clothing, food, and technology, the evidence tells a more complicated story than the popular narrative of an ever-worsening affordability crisis. Beisner also considers the notable exceptions of education and medical care and explains why their rising costs deserve particular attention.

What does this mean for Christians thinking about economics, socialism, and the state of American prosperity? And what should we make of the widespread belief that the good life is increasingly out of reach?

Listen to this episode of Sanity Check to examine the “affordability crisis” from a different perspective.

https://thechristianworldview.org/

https://humanprogress.org/u-s-housing-became-much-more-affordable-over-the-last-40-years/

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Could rising carbon dioxide levels actually be changing the chemistry of our blood? A new study makes the startling claim that increasing atmospheric CO₂ could eventually make the atmosphere toxic—but does the evidence really support such a dramatic conclusion?

In this episode, Dr. David Legates takes a critical look at the study behind the headlines. He examines its analysis of more than two decades of U.S. health data, which finds that blood bicarbonate levels increased as atmospheric CO₂ rose, and asks the obvious question: does correlation really mean causation?

Dr. Legates then looks at the basic physiology of carbon dioxide and blood chemistry. Given that the human body constantly produces CO₂ at concentrations vastly higher than those found in the atmosphere, is it actually plausible that a relatively small increase in outdoor CO₂ could produce the changes the researchers claim?

He also examines the study’s reliance on observational data, the many other factors that can affect blood chemistry, and the assumptions involved in projecting a relatively short-term trend fifty years into the future. The result is a useful reminder that an alarming headline is not the same thing as scientific evidence—and that extraordinary claims require more than a correlation and a straight-line projection.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260814235845.htm

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11869-026-01918-5

https://doi.org/10.1111/apha.14066

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What does it look like to approach climate, water, economics, and environmental questions from a Biblical perspective? In this episode, Dr. David Legates introduces the Cornwall Alliance’s growing catalog of online courses, designed to equip Christians with the scientific, economic, and theological knowledge needed to engage today’s environmental debates with confidence.

Dr. Legates highlights two courses currently available: Basic Climate Science, which explores the fundamental processes that shape the Earth’s climate and challenges the notion that the climate system is fragile and easily driven toward catastrophe, and Modern Water Management: Systems, Policy, and Human Needs, which examines the complex relationship between human societies and water, including questions of supply, policy, economics, and resource management.

These courses are part of the Cornwall Alliance’s broader effort to help Christians understand God’s creation more deeply and think carefully about environmental and economic issues in light of Scripture, sound science, and sound economics.

Explore the courses and learn more at cornwallalliance.org/courses.

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In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines the growing legal battle over “citizen suits” and who has the authority to enforce federal environmental law. The Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act all gave private citizens and organizations the ability to sue when they believed environmental laws were being violated. For decades, these provisions have allowed environmental groups to challenge companies and government agencies in court. But critics argue that citizen suits have increasingly become a mechanism for influencing federal policy outside the normal democratic and regulatory process.

Now, the Trump Administration is pushing back, arguing that the Constitution places responsibility for enforcing federal law with the Executive Branch and that private advocacy groups should not be able to dictate national policy through litigation. The Justice Department recently intervened in a citizen suit involving an artificial-intelligence facility, arguing that private litigants should not be able to use environmental law to undermine national energy and technology priorities.

So, are these actions an unconstitutional restriction of citizens’ rights, or an effort to restore the separation of powers and prevent “regulation through litigation”?

Dr. Legates examines the history of citizen-suit provisions, the controversial practice of “sue and settle,” the constitutional arguments surrounding executive enforcement authority, and the increasingly important question of whether unelected advocacy organizations should be able to shape federal policy through the courts. The issue may ultimately make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This episode is an update to our earlier discussion, “Sue and Settle,” and asks a fundamental question about American government: When Congress passes a law, who should ultimately decide how that law is enforced—the Executive Branch, or private citizens and advocacy groups?

https://theconversation.com/trump-administration-moves-to-block-public-from-enforcing-environmental-protection-laws-288687

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/7604

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-senate-passes-bill-curbs-abortion-pills-mailing-into-state/

https://fedsoc.org/events/citizen-suits-separation-of-powers-and-the-future-of-the-supreme-court-s-standing-jurisprudence

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1446141/dl?inline

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Europe has been warming significantly faster than the global average, and this summer’s heatwaves once again prompted politicians and environmental activists to point to fossil-fuel emissions as the obvious culprit. In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines a new study that suggests there is another important piece of the story: Europe’s remarkable success in reducing air pollution.

Since 1980, Europe has dramatically reduced sulfur dioxide and other aerosol emissions. Those pollutants brought serious health and environmental costs, but some of them also reflected sunlight and increased cloud reflectivity, producing a cooling effect. As Europe cleaned up its air, that cooling influence diminished. The new research suggests that the resulting changes may have contributed not only directly to regional warming, but also indirectly by altering atmospheric circulation patterns that favor persistent summer heat and heatwaves.

So, could one of the reasons Europe has warmed so rapidly be that Europeans successfully eliminated some of the pollution that had been keeping temperatures down?

In this episode, Dr. Legates examines the new study, the science of aerosols, Europe’s dramatic decline in sulfur emissions, the difference between weather and climate, and what this complicated story means for the way we talk about climate change. We also consider a question that environmental policy rarely acknowledges: what happens when solving one environmental problem changes another part of the climate system in an unexpected way?

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2026GL122424

https://www.nationalreview.com/news/european-heat-wave-driven-by-cleaner-air-u-k-climate-office-study-finds/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/22/heatwaves-caused-by-fall-in-pollution/

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Episode Description

El Niño has returned, and forecasters around the world are watching closely.

In this episode, Dr. David Legates explains what El Niño is, why the tropical Pacific Ocean is warming, and what scientists expect as the 2026 event continues to develop. He explores how El Niño influences weather patterns around the globe, from rainfall in the southern United States to hurricane activity in the Atlantic and drought risks in Australia.

Drawing on decades of climatological research, Dr. Legates also examines the limits of seasonal forecasting. While El Niño can shift the odds of certain weather patterns, it does not guarantee specific outcomes. Every event is different, and Earth's climate is shaped by a complex interaction of oceanic and atmospheric processes that extend far beyond a single climate pattern.

Join Dr. David Legates for an accessible look at one of Earth's most influential climate phenomena and discover what the developing 2026 El Niño may—and may not—have in store.

https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/enso_advisory/ensodisc.shtml

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0252-6

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/weather/2026/07/22/super-el-nino-atlantic-la-nina-hurricane-weather-forecast/91005872007/

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Can humanity turn night into day?

In this episode, Dr. David Legates examines Reflect Orbital's ambitious proposal to place mirrors in space that would redirect sunlight onto Earth after sunset. Marketed as a breakthrough for renewable energy, disaster response, agriculture, and industry, the technology has also sparked concerns about light pollution, environmental impacts, space debris, and the commercialization of the night sky.

Dr. Legates explores the science, economics, and policy questions surrounding this proposal, asking whether its promises outweigh its practical challenges. He also considers what the debate reveals about today's environmental priorities and the broader implications of attempting to engineer Earth's natural cycles.

Join Dr. David Legates for a thoughtful discussion of one of the most unusual—and controversial—space technologies currently under development.

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