This Week on Earth: Oct 23-29

Dean Guernsey/Bulletin file | Truckloads of trash are unloaded at Knott Landfill in 2019.

MEXICO

Hurricane Otis hit Alapuco, Mexico, between October 24 and 25 as a category five hurricane, making it the strongest storm to hit the country. It has killed 43 people so far while severely damaging homes and infrastructure, Forbes reports.

WASHINGTON D.C.

The first major legislation passed under newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson cuts $5.5 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act. The cut programs include a $4.5 billion program for homeowners to switch to more energy-efficient appliances and a $1 billion program for states to create stricter building energy regulations. Johnson has received $280,000 in donations from the oil and gas industry over his career, per Bloomberg.

WASHINGTON AND OREGON

Landfills in Washington State and Oregon exceeded methane emission standards in 2022, highlighting the need for improved methane management nationwide, Grist reports. 

WORLDWIDE

Patagonia released the new Stormshadow Parka, made of recycled plastic from Central America and Asia, according to Now This News.

Six of nine planetary boundaries, thresholds the world needs to stay within to ensure a stable, livable planet, have already been crossed, per CNN.
On October 25, scientists worldwide urged the World Health Organization to declare a health emergency for the planet, citing climate change, dwindling biodiversity and unmet COP goals. The report has been published in more than 200 health journals, DW reports.