Opinion: Revealing the toxic lobbying power of Bayer
By Hans van Scharen
Big fossil-fuel companies like Shell, Exxon, BP or Total are not your trusted source to go to for solid advice on how to urgently prevent the climate from changing ever faster.
science
Postcard from California: State sues ExxonMobil for plastics recycling fraud
By Bill Walker
Last year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a monumental lawsuit against five of the world’s largest petrochemical companies for an alleged “decades-long campaign of deception” about fossil fuels’ harm to the climate and the climate crisis’ devastating impacts on the state.
Q&A: 20 years after coining “microplastics,” a researcher reflects on what needs to change
By Douglas Main
We now know that microplastics and nano-plastics are everywhere. They are found in the most remote parts of the deep ocean, on Mount Everest, in rainwater, in the food we eat and air we breathe. They’re showing up in animals and human organs, including the brain.
Fossil fuel planned expansions could thwart efforts to slow climate change, report finds
By Dana Drugmand
Plans for an expanded footprint of US fossil fuel-derived chemical production facilities would unleash millions of tons of heat-trapping emissions that could undermine efforts to confront the climate crisis, according to a report issued Tuesday.
New study finds potentially harmful pathogens traveling high in the atmosphere
By Douglas Main
A wide variety of fungi and bacteria, including E. coli and other potential human pathogens, have been found high in the atmosphere where they can travel for hundreds to thousands of miles before falling back to Earth, according to new research.
EPA battles environmentalists in court over regulation of CAFOs and water pollution
A coalition of environmental organizations faced off against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in federal appellate court on Thursday in the latest skirmish in a long-running battle over the agency’s regulatory approach to water contamination connected to industrial agricultural operations.
California passes law ordering review of paraquat weed killer
By Carey Gillam
Efforts by some California lawmakers to ban the controversial weed killing chemical paraquat ended this week with passage of a law that keeps the chemical in use but requires a reevaluation by regulators within the next five years.
“It’s scary”- Scientists finding mounting evidence of plastic pollution in human organs
By Douglas Main
A growing body of scientific evidence shows that microplastics are accumulating in critical human organs, including the brain, alarming findings that highlight a need for more urgent actions to rein in plastic pollution, researchers say.
Movement to limit CAFO pollution seen strengthened by Michigan court ruling
A recent state court decision could transform how animal agriculture is regulated in Michigan, and potentially influence how other state and federal regulators oversee the industry’s mammoth waste stream, according to environmental lawyers and activists.
Peel those apples: New study confirms washing doesn’t remove pesticide residues
By Carey Gillam
A new scientific report lends weight to consumer concerns about pesticide residues on food, presenting fresh evidence that washing fruits before eating them does not remove various toxic chemicals commonly used in agriculture.