With a series of executive orders, Biden’s early administrative moves seek to quickly reverse years of catastrophic Trump administration anti-environment, anti-science policy, and start making up for lost ground in advancing America’s environment and climate policy progress.

Justice Ginsburg’s death has reduced the liberal-leaning (and pro-climate) justices on the nine-member court to a minority of three. If a third Trump nominee is approved by the Senate (and this remains an open question), a conservative majority of six justices will be capable of radically stripping back the administrative state’s regulatory power over matters such as greenhouse gas emissions, health care, and labour law.