For about 15 years, thousands of US companies have been required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to stop requiring thousands of industrial companies in the country to provide data on their greenhouse gas emissions. "The greenhouse gas reporting program is nothing more than bureaucratic red tape that does nothing to improve air quality," EPA Director Lee Zeldin is quoted as saying in a statement from his agency. Ending the program could save U.S. companies up to $2.4 billion in regulatory costs over the next ten years.

The greenhouse gas measurement program was launched in 2010 and collects data from approximately 8,000 of the country's largest industrial facilities, including coal-fired power plants, oil refineries, and steel mills. The information obtained influences policy decisions and has also been shared with the United Nations, which requires industrialized countries to provide data on emissions that affect climate change. The United States is the second-largest emitter of greenhouse gases after China and, under President Donald Trump, has once again withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement—as it did during his first term.

According to the information, certain oil and gas facilities, such as pipelines, are not affected by the suspension of the reporting requirement. According to the New York Times, the proposal will be published in the Federal Register, and the end of the program is expected to be finalized sometime next year. Critics argue that stopping the program could hinder the fight against climate change—emissions cannot be specifically reduced if their origin is unknown.

Since Trump took office, the US government has been drastically cutting funding for climate protection and research on topics such as global warming. At the end of July, the EPA announced that it would rescind a key scientific assessment on the dangers of greenhouse gases.

In the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, around 200 countries agreed to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels—and, if possible, to just 1.5 degrees Celsius. This is intended to avoid the worst consequences of the climate crisis.

According to research, greenhouse gases are considered the main drivers of man-made climate change. Since the late 19th century, these harmful emissions have led to a significant increase in the global average temperature.