This Week on Earth: April 6-13
This week on Earth…
New composting instructions are coming to Evanston
The EPA proposed to reduce regulations on coal ashes, which could endanger drinking water
Argentina passed a new bill to facilitate mining activities in glacier regions amidst both support and protests
Category 5 Super Typhoon Sinlaku makes landfall on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. territories in the Western Pacific
Evanston
This spring, new composting carts and instructions are coming to Evanston to divert organic material from landfill and create a circular Evanston, according to the Evanston Roundtable.
At the Environmental Board Meeting on March 26, Solid Waste Coordinator Brian Zimmerman updated new composting instructions, with the goal of getting 75%-80% of Evanston households to participate in the program, reported the Evanston Roundtable. The new instructions mean that Evanston residents no longer need to actively opt in to participate in composting; instead, they will automatically receive a composting cart without initial charge if they do not already have one. Residents will also be able to change the size of the cart once a year without charge.
These new changes demonstrate Evanston’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, Wendy Pollock from the Evanston Roundtable suggested that residents utilize resources such as the Repair Cafe and the Recycle Coach in the city to reduce shopping and to recycle correctly in Evanston.
United States
On Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a new rule to reduce regulations surrounding cleaning waste of burning coal, which, according to environmental groups, would threaten drinking water, reported the New York Times.
Coal ash is a waste byproduct created when burning coal to produce electricity, and it contains toxic chemicals such as arsenic, mercury and lead. If not cleaned up properly, coal ash could contaminate groundwater, according to the New York Times. Due to the dangerous impact of coal ash, in 2015, the EPA started to require the coal industry to clean up coal dumps and expanded the rules in 2024 for older dumping sites. The EPA’s announcement this week both repeals the expansion of the rules under the Biden administration and loosens the ones established in 2025, based on the New York Times.
The new rule would allow coal companies to dump coal ashes, even if the site is known to be in contact with groundwater. According to the New York Times, it is one of a series of erasure of environmental regulations under the Trump Administration, which also included weakening limits on the emission of greenhouse gases and mercury by the coal-industry.
Argentina
On Thursday, Argentina’s Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of the Argentine House of Congress, approved a bill that would make mining activities for copper, lithium and silver in the glacier regions easier, according to the Guardian. Argentina’s President, Javier Milei, said that the bill would “empower[s] the provinces to utilise their resources” while environmentalists worry that the passage of the bill would weaken protection of fresh water.
According to the Guardian, an existing law dating from 2010 allows a scientific group to “[designate] protected glaciers and periglacial environments,” and the new bill gives more power of deciding which glacier area needs protection and which ones can be economically developed to the individual provinces.
Supporters of the bill included governors of mineral rich provinces, who said that their goal is to reach “a sustainable economic development of the provinces and the Nation without compromising future generations.” On the other hand, the bill received protests outside the parliament building because the bill threatens the glaciers that act as freshwater reservoirs, according to the BBC.
Guam
Typhoon Sinlaku, the strongest storm on record this year, is just a few hours away from striking down on Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, including the islands of Tinian, Saipan, and Luta (Rota), U.S. territories located in the Western Pacific Ocean.
The islands are already seeing massive flooding reported across social media platforms, as Sinlaku, a Category 5 typhoon, brings wind speeds of 180 mph and gusts of 205 mph over the Marianas archipelago, despite currently being in the tropical dry season – indicating the broader shifting climate, particularly with El Niño, according the San Francisco Chronicle.
While the peak of typhoon season in the Marianas is typically observed from August through November, two of the most recent super typhoons, Mawar in May 2023 and now Sinlaku, reveal how climate change is increasing the proportion of supercharged category 4 and 5 cyclones throughout the Pacific.
Residents across the Marianas are preparing for the damage, with local groups, such as the Micronesia Climate Change Alliance and From Luta for Luta, organizing mutual aid campaigns for vulnerable community members directly impacted by the storm. Donations can be made here.
Typhoon Sinlaku is named after a Kosrae goddess of nature and breadfruit, an island state in the Federated States of Micronesia.
This week’s newsletter was written by Coco Yang – cocoyang2029@u.northwestern.edu with contributions from Lula Fox - lulafox2026@u.northwestern.edu