Earthset captured through the Orion spacecraft window at 6:41 p.m. EDT, April 6, 2026, during the Artemis II crew’s flyby of the Moon. PHOTO: NASA

Reflection

Earth Day Forecast: Cloudy With a Chance of Optimism

Despite shifts in federal policies, Jonathan Levy, professor and chair of environmental health, sees signs of improvement in public acceptance of climate change.

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Some of the amazing images from the Artemis II mission harken back to one of the most iconic photos from the early years of space travel, the “Earthrise” photo taken in 1968. One of the legacies of that photo, which showed the fragility of the planet that we all share, is that it helped to propel the environmental movement and led to the first Earth Day in 1970. That year, President Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to “…promote efforts which will prevent or eliminate damage to the environment and biosphere and stimulate the health and welfare of man”, and he launched the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to both establish and enforce environmental protection standards and to conduct environmental research.

We are in a very different place as we celebrate Earth Day 2026. The EPA Office of Research and Development is being eliminated in the midst of extensive layoffs, many extramural research grants from EPA were terminated, NEPA is being dismantled, and US Forest Service stations are being shuttered just as wildfire season gets underway. The Trump Administration has rolled back numerous other environmental regulations and is attempting to get rid of the “endangerment finding” that is the basis for policies to fight climate change. The President’s FY2027 budget request proposes to eliminate wildfire protections and renewable energy and energy efficiency programs, remove the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences from the NIH, and decrease EPA funding by 52%. 

There have always been hard-fought political battles over environmental policies, which inevitably involve complex tradeoffs and economic costs to secure improved environmental quality and associated health benefits. There have been times when EPA reduced environmental enforcement and was substantially downsized with its funding reduced. But we have rarely seen such a large and sustained all-of-government strategy to systematically dismantle environmental protection and to sideline environmental research.

All that being said, there is actually room for optimism. A growing number of Americans are alarmed or concerned about climate change, with only 24% reporting being doubtful or dismissive. 72% of adults reported believing that global warming is happening, including at least 58% reporting this belief in every state across the country. 76% of Trump 2024 voters and 86% of voters overall opposed attempts to weaken EPA, with only 12% agreeing that funding for EPA should be decreased. There is also bipartisan interest in addressing pollutants like PFAS, the “forever chemicals”.

At the same time, cities and states have continued to lead on environmental protection. For example, the 96 cities that are part of the C40 (including 13 in the United States) are driving climate action forward while improving the quality of life in their communities. 24 states, including more than half of the US population, have formed the US Climate Alliance and have committed collectively to address climate change. In addition, scientific research continues to provide insight into how the environment influences health, with an increasing focus on developing and implementing solutions. Here at BUSPH, faculty, staff, and students have recently investigated everything from how the coal industry influences community health to how chemical exposures caused Gulf War Illness to how to best protect communities during heat waves. Across the scientific community, the body of research indicating health effects of climate change has grown and strengthened considerably, countering the attempt to roll back the endangerment finding.

As we celebrate Earth Day 2026, we should reflect on the newest set of long-distance photos of our fragile planet, but we should also zoom in. Across our planet are numerous individual communities that confront an array of environmental challenges, ranging from extreme heat to air pollution to water pollution. We have the knowledge and tools to help address many of those challenges and improve health and quality of life, especially when scientific research is solutions-oriented and engages directly with communities. Some of the positive vibes from the successful Artemis II mission stemmed from the sense that we can do great things when we apply our scientific expertise to a challenging problem. Now that we are back from the moon, let’s turn our attention to the Earth.