The West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency opinion was a victory for Georgia and 18 other Republican-led states as it limits Democratic President Joe Biden’s ability to pursue his climate goals.
The rising number of fires hamper decades of environmental efforts, and over 40% of Americans — more than 137 million people — live in places with poor air quality, a new report says.
In late December, Brightmark admitted to the authority it failed to meet the deadline to prove its facility in another state was able to deliver the recycled end-product to another user, which was a condition of the sale.
Boosting ventilation and filtration not only lowers the risk of transmission, it's also linked to higher test scores and better health. But making upgrades is more complex than it sounds.
"We see a really clear association between how these maps were drawn in the '30s and the air pollution disparities today," says an author of a study on the effects of the discriminatory policy.
Eastern states have been clouded in a smoky haze for days, and with the smoke comes poor air quality. People far away from the fires aren't ready for the breathing problems the smoke brings.
The pandemic has brought new attention to respiratory health. People with chronic lung disease are at a greater risk of suffering serious complications from COVID-19, including death, and were included early on in the governor’s stay-at-home order more than a year ago.
Air quality limits on cremations are temporarily suspended in Los Angeles because of increased demand due to COVID-19. Officials say the death rate is now more than double that of pre-pandemic years.
The unprecedented fire season has already killed 30 people, and burned down thousands of buildings and homes, forcing over 96,000 residents to evacuate.
"The smoke is so dense," one agricultural worker in Oregon told NPR. "I feel dizzy, my throat hurts and my head feels like it's going to explode." Their employers are also faced with tough choices.
