Jon Levy's Avatar

Jon Levy

@jonlevybu.bsky.social

Professor and Chair of Dept of Environmental Health at BU School of Public Health. Focus on indoor and outdoor air, climate change, housing, and environmental justice. Occasional parental musings and the odd dad joke. Once called “Very human, relatable”.

2,575 Followers  |  1,143 Following  |  279 Posts  |  Joined: 15.11.2024  |  1.7417

Latest posts by jonlevybu.bsky.social on Bluesky

Preview
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The Trump administration rescinded the "endangerment finding" today, declaring that climate change doesn't harm health.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...

12.02.2026 20:28 — 👍 5    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 1
Preview
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

12.02.2026 21:44 — 👍 1036    🔁 485    💬 24    📌 9

"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

12.02.2026 22:41 — 👍 6    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0

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

12.02.2026 20:38 — 👍 9159    🔁 3338    💬 153    📌 82
Preview
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The Trump administration rescinded the "endangerment finding" today, declaring that climate change doesn't harm health.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...

12.02.2026 20:28 — 👍 5    🔁 10    💬 0    📌 1

Found them

11.02.2026 22:05 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
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...

31.01.2026 02:26 — 👍 508    🔁 124    💬 6    📌 7
Post image

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

25.01.2026 22:39 — 👍 28797    🔁 10732    💬 43    📌 979
Preview
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

23.01.2026 21:25 — 👍 21    🔁 10    💬 2    📌 0
Newly Disclosed Records Show Trump Administration’s Unlawful Actions Related to Secretly Formed “Climate Working Group” The records are part of more than 68,000 pages of records obtained by EDF and the Union of Concerned Scientists as as the result of a lawsuit.

Just breaking. Good to see the truth emerging:

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

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

22.01.2026 19:59 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
Preview
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

21.01.2026 14:56 — 👍 17    🔁 15    💬 1    📌 2

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.

19.01.2026 14:28 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1

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.

19.01.2026 14:28 — 👍 4    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

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/

13.01.2026 01:20 — 👍 489    🔁 235    💬 8    📌 26
Preview
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...

12.01.2026 22:49 — 👍 51    🔁 24    💬 1    📌 2
Preview
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.

12.01.2026 18:13 — 👍 3    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0

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.

12.01.2026 18:26 — 👍 8    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
Preview
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...

10.01.2026 14:28 — 👍 1014    🔁 380    💬 21    📌 17
Preview
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...

30.12.2025 18:59 — 👍 19    🔁 8    💬 0    📌 1

Unfortunately this skeet aged well…

04.01.2026 16:53 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

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.

03.01.2026 20:40 — 👍 2455    🔁 903    💬 51    📌 29
Portrait of Marina Vance, a scientist, sitting in a Colorado grassland.

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

27.12.2025 17:11 — 👍 383    🔁 177    💬 3    📌 12
Air quality and health effects of U.S. energy transitions Transitioning the U.S. energy system has the potential to improve public health by reducing ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exposure. We develop an integrated modeling framework, coupling ener...

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.

22.12.2025 21:32 — 👍 19    🔁 8    💬 2    📌 0
Preview
‘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 🧪

23.12.2025 19:48 — 👍 69    🔁 52    💬 3    📌 3
Post image

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

23.12.2025 06:06 — 👍 253    🔁 118    💬 12    📌 13

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

22.12.2025 17:21 — 👍 6    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 1
Preview
Restarting Revolution Wind is good for our health as well as the climate - The Boston Globe Investing in clean sources of electricity helps address climate change. It also leads to local and regional health benefits, write two Boston University professors of environmental health.

Our commentary from October reinforces how dismantling offshore wind is bad for energy costs, climate, and health - it bolsters profits for the fossil fuel industry, but everyone else loses.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/10/08/m...

22.12.2025 15:21 — 👍 18    🔁 3    💬 1    📌 0
Preview
Interior pauses construction of all offshore wind projects, citing national security concerns The halts of five projects is a major ramp up of the administration's hostility toward the industry in the United States.

This is madness. Freezing offshore wind projects in progress will waste money, cost jobs, make electricity less reliable and more expensive, and will cause health harms given that fossil fuels will be used instead.

www.politico.com/news/2025/12...

22.12.2025 15:19 — 👍 100    🔁 44    💬 6    📌 9

Unbelievable. This would be a terrible blow to American science, writ large. It would decimate not only climate research, but also the kind of weather, wildfire, and disaster research that has underpinned half a century of progress in prediction, early warning, and increased resilience.

17.12.2025 02:49 — 👍 4306    🔁 1923    💬 104    📌 85
Preview
Switching to electric stoves can dramatically cut indoor air pollution A new study links gas and propane stove emissions to asthma and other health risks. Transitioning to electric could reduce exposure by over 50%.

Are you one of the 38% of U.S. households with a gas or propane stove? If so, spend the $50 needed to get an induction stove! New study: "if you use a gas stove, you’re often breathing as much nitrogen dioxide pollution indoors from your stove as you are from all outdoor sources combined.”

05.12.2025 16:12 — 👍 94    🔁 32    💬 13    📌 5

@jonlevybu is following 20 prominent accounts