Jon Levy

Black Rain and Health Fears After Strikes on Iran Fuel Depots

Oil has been a stated or unstated cause of recent wars, and many of the impacts come back to oil. We notice the growing gas prices but may not see the growing health harms in Iran, the region, or the military. We pay a heavy price for our reliance on fossil fuels.

www.nytimes.com/2026/03/10/w...

Trump’s EPA decides climate change doesn’t endanger public health – the evidence says otherwise Climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease, doctors and scientists explain. Erasing the federal endangerment finding increases the risk.

"By confronting climate change, we promote good health," @jonlevybu.bsky.social & colleagues write in a new @theconversation.com article. Their piece is a response to the Trump admin's move to rescind the endangerment finding, which asserted that climate-warming gases also endanger health.

Bringing Cleaner Air to Boston Homes—One Stove at a Time Boston University researchers have been partnering with the city to replace gas stoves with electric induction alternatives and measure the effect on air quality

Gas stoves can degrade indoor air quality. For the past year, researchers including @jonlevybu.bsky.social have been partnering with the city of Boston on a program to replace gas stoves with electric. The team is also studying how indoor air quality differs before and after replacement.

Project Drawdown launches Climate Science Serving America Fellowship to support scientists working in the public good Fellowship seeks early- to mid-career researchers based in America who are committed to science and public expertise

While others are stepping back on climate, Project Drawdown is stepping up!

We’re proud to announce the Climate Science Serving America Fellowship to support U.S.-based Ph.D.-level scientists & engineers focused on climate solutions for the public good.

drawdown.org/news/project...

Trump says climate change doesn’t endanger public health – evidence shows it does, from extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses Climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease. Erasing the federal endangerment finding increases the risk.

The Trump administration rescinded the "endangerment finding" today, declaring that climate change doesn't harm health. They are wrong. Some evidence from me, @howardfrumkin.bsky.social, @jonathanpatz.bsky.social, and Vijay Limaye from @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/trump-says-c...

There is No Scientific Justification to Revoke the Endangerment Finding The U.S. EPA's decision to repeal the Endangerment Finding will limit the government's ability to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act.

As I say here, there is no scientific justification to revoke the engagement finding. In fact, over the last 15+ yrs, the evidence of how climate change affects our health has only grown. Higher risk of allergies, dementia, fertility, heart disease, and death: that’s what’s on the line. @nature.org

"To really make America healthy, in our view, the nation should acknowledge the facts behind the endangerment finding and double down on our transition from fossil fuels to a healthy, clean energy future." -- @jonathanpatz.bsky.social @howardfrumkin.bsky.social @jonlevybu.bsky.social

You can't... repeal... a scientific finding. At that point it's just called lying about it.

Trump says climate change doesn’t endanger public health – evidence shows it does, from extreme heat to mosquito-borne illnesses Climate change is making people sicker and more vulnerable to disease. Erasing the federal endangerment finding increases the risk.

The Trump administration rescinded the "endangerment finding" today, declaring that climate change doesn't harm health. They are wrong. Some evidence from me, @howardfrumkin.bsky.social, @jonathanpatz.bsky.social, and Vijay Limaye from @theconversation.com

theconversation.com/trump-says-c...

Found them

A Secret Panel to Question Climate Science Was Unlawful, Judge Rules

Today we won.

A U.S. District Court ruled that the administration violated federal law when it secretly convened a group of climate contrarians to produce a thoroughly debunked report to overturn the Endangerment Finding.

The science still matters. We won't stop.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/c...

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

Ambient air quality and health impacts of PM2.5 from US residential wood combustion Air pollution from residential wood burning contributes to thousands of premature deaths annually, with unexpected urban impacts.

New research out today in #ScienceAdvances, in which Kyan Shlipak et al. explore the health impacts of burning wood for heat across the U.S. Of note: ~8600 premature deaths w/ more urban impacts than expected, disproportionate impacts to POC www.science.org/doi/10.1126/... @science.org

Just breaking. Good to see the truth emerging:

www.edf.org/media/newly-...

@globalecoguy.bsky.social
@katharinehayhoe.com
@maibached.bsky.social

Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars

Trump’s E.P.A. Has Put a Value on Human Life: Zero Dollars

Racism, poverty, the environment, and other social determinants of health are key predictors of how healthy we are. The fight for health equity (and overall better health) continues today. It has many fronts, and health care is necessary but not sufficient.

Dr. King is often misquoted as having said “Of all of the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”

He actually said “injustice in health”. Although the quote was about medical care discrimination, Dr. King understood that health was more than health care.

Now Trump EPA head, Lee Zeldin, enters the scene with rank dishonesty & theatrical indignation to dispute the NY Times' correct, accurate reporting.

But I've read the EPA smoking gun document, I'm a 30+-year clean air lawyer, I understand its meaning better than Zeldin, & I have the receipts. 1/

E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution

The fact that air pollution protections save lives (and thus dollars) has long been an inconvenient fact for those who want polluting industries unfettered.

This move is indefensible and dangerous.
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/c...

E.P.A. to Stop Considering Lives Saved When Setting Rules on Air Pollution

The Trump administration is proposing to value the cost of air pollution deaths at $0.

It’s no wonder that Trump’s EPA would take this step: avoided premature mortality is regularly the largest category of monetized benefits used to justify Clean Air Act regulation.

Since deaths from particulate matter and ozone are the vast majority of monetized benefits from air pollution regulations, this move will effectively stop most clean air regulations. This is totally unsupported by science, economics, or common sense.

The NIH has lost its scientific integrity. So we left “We can no longer lend our credibility to an organization that has lost its integrity,” write four scientists and administrators who recently resigned from the NIH.

This is so incredibly heart-breaking. To Jay Bhattacharya and Matthew Memoli at NIH--you have betrayed the entire scientific community. Deeply committed staff are leaving in droves--because you are destroying the institution. Shame on you. www.statnews.com/2026/01/10/n...

NYCHA to Replace Gas Stoves in 100 Apartments Under Energy-Efficiency Pilot Program - City Limits Dozens of public housing apartments will get plug-in induction ranges as part of the initiative, which aims to eventually shift 10,000 NYCHA homes off the use of polluting fossil fuel appliances.

Dozens of public housing apartments will get plug-in induction ranges as part of the initiative, which aims to eventually shift 10,000 NYCHA homes off the use of polluting fossil fuel appliances. citylimits.org/nycha-to-rep...

Unfortunately this skeet aged well…

When people argue that renewable energy sources are too expensive, remember that we don’t invade countries to seize wind farms and there are no solar cartels. Fossil fuels have enormous geopolitical, public health, and climate externalities.

Portrait of Marina Vance, a scientist, sitting in a Colorado grassland.

The @nytimes.com Lost Science series continues. Here's my Q&A with a scientist who was studying how wildfire smoke threatens human health when the EPA decided that her research was no longer a funding priority. Gift link: nyti.ms/4jhpw14

New preprint up assessing the air quality and health benefits that could have been possible under the Inflation Reduction Act.

Huge effort here with Erin Mayfield, Jamil Farbes, @jessedjenkins.com, Ryan Jones, Tracey Holloway, and @jonathanpatz.bsky.social.

‘This year nearly broke me as a scientist’ – US researchers reflect on how 2025’s science cuts have changed their lives US science lost a great deal in 2025, including tens of billions of dollars of federal funding, entire research agencies and programs, and a generation of researchers.

Sweeping science cuts in 2025 halted clinical trials, erased public health data and forced researchers into impossible choices.

“This year nearly broke me as a scientist,” one writes.

Six researchers share their stories: buff.ly/u2MHIQo 🧪

It brings me no pleasure to report that my beat — offshore wind power — skyrocketed to the top of new sites today.

I just published a scoop about Trump's halt on 5 in-progress wind farms capable of powering 2.7 million homes.

Here's a mega🧵

🔗 2nd post is a link to my scoop
🎁 last post is a gift

Thank goodness there are no national security issues or geopolitical challenges related to oil or gas…