Structural Divergence in US Federal Environmental Oversight: 2026 EPA Endangerment Finding Rescission and the Future of Climate Measurement

While the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) spent February 12, 2026, finalising the rescission of the 2009 "endangerment finding," those of us in the actual business of measurement were left wondering if the next US federal directive might involve repealing the laws of gravity to assist the aviation sector. This move, framed by the executive branch as the grandest deregulatory event in history, effectively binning the legal framework for greenhouse gas regulation under the Clean Air Act, is quite a feat of administrative gymnastics.

By asserting that the scientific consensus underpinning decades of policy was "fundamentally flawed," the current administration has opted for a comprehensive decoupling from the international scientific community. It is a bold strategy to suggest that the physics of CO2 forcing is subject to political repeal, but here we are.

For those of us navigating the media and advertising landscape - an industry responsible for up to 3% of global emissions - this US federal vacuum is less of a "get out of jail free" card and more of a massive, unforced administrative headache. We know that for media-heavy organisations, the distribution of ads can represent a staggering 55% of their total carbon footprint. 

While Administrator Lee Zeldin and his team are busy removing longitudinal climate data from public repositories and revoking policies that once protected researchers from political interference, the private sector is left to do the actual adult work of risk management. The administration’s pivot back to 2012-era "Gold Standard Science" effectively hands political appointees the power to "correct" any research that doesn't fit the narrative—a move that doesn't exactly scream "public trust".

Despite this institutional retreat into a pre-scientific past, the reality of climate change remains inconveniently firm. Whether or not the EPA chooses to acknowledge isotopic fingerprinting or the fact that Carbon-12 in our atmosphere has a suspiciously fossil-fuel-shaped signature, the physical reality is indifferent to its website's "updated" content. 

In 2026, accurate greenhouse gas accounting has evolved from a peripheral "greenwashing" exercise into a core financial necessity. When government data becomes a work of fiction, the burden of proof shifts entirely to corporations and insurers who cannot afford to bet their balance sheets on political whims.

In this charmingly chaotic environment, Net Zero Media remains committed to the rather radical idea that what you can’t measure, you can’t manage. While the US government retreats, the industry is stepping up through the Global Media Sustainability Framework (GMSF) under Ad Net Zero, ensuring that media sub-sectors follow a consistent, science-based approach regardless of the local regulatory weather. 

Our CarboniQ platform continues to provide holistic quantification across all media channels that the market actually demands. The current US administration might be prioritising short-term fossil fuel development over long-term resilience, but the underlying drivers of the energy transition - economics, technology, and investor pressure - aren't going anywhere. We will continue to lead with data transparency and logic, because while you can rescind a finding, you can't rescind the mounting costs of a warming planet.

About Net Zero Media:

At Net Zero Media, we are driving a future where the advertising industry takes decisive action to reduce its carbon emissions. 

Recognising the critical need for specialised technology to measure these Scope 3 emissions, Net Zero Media was founded by a collaboration of senior executives from the marketing, advertising, software and sustainability industries who developed CarboniQ to accurately measure the environmental impact of every advertising campaign across all media channels.

Our mission is to transform the advertising landscape by integrating media planning expertise with advanced technology and a deep understanding of climate science. We empower the industry to navigate complex challenges and deliver sustainable solutions, driving decarbonisation.