Our 2021 Annual Report: Environment, health, science & impact

An update from the front lines of climate change and environmental health

What a time of change and growth!

We are pleased to share Environmental Health Sciences' 2021 Annual Report, highlighting the many activities we undertook last year that set EHS up for a strong 2022.


Download our annual report here:

EHS-2021-Annual-Report.pdf

Environmental impact

Agriculture and environmental health

2021 was a year of excitement and challenge for our small nonprofit.

  1. We launched EHN en Español,
  2. Doubled down on our commitment to the groundbreaking early career science program Agents of Change, and
  3. Saw significant gains on both the toxics and climate fronts.

And we watched readers – like you! – get engaged in ways that continually surprised us.

Our work continues

PFAS in cosmetics

In just the first three months this year EHS staff has been a hive of activity:

  • Partnered with wellness community Mamavation.com to investigate PFAS contamination in sports bras, cosmetics and other products.
  • Driven a global campaign around groundbreaking BPA limits in Europe – and why the same scientific standards should be applied in the U.S.
  • Published 10 Agents of Change essays & podcasts exploring everything from new pathways into science to workplace chemical exposures.

Take a look at the work EHS did last year and be proud that you, as a reader, are moving it forward.

We certainly are grateful to you!

PS: Just today we published a look at impacts one year after publishing "Fractured," our groundbreaking investigation into spillover pollution from fracking fields in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Check it out!

Banner photo art by David Ryder for EHN.org

Donald Trump speaking & pointing finger at CPAC 2011 in Washington, D.C.
Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/ Creative commons: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Trump goes to war with states over AI

The president’s order to limit states’ ability to regulate the spread of artificial intelligence is poised to set off political and legal fireworks that mirror his efforts to curb climate action.

An illustration of silhouettes of people in greens and blues with one person in red

In 2025, the US gave up on climate — and the world gave up on us

While the U.S. sits in self-imposed isolation, the rest of the world, led by China, raced to build renewables and commit to climate action.
An illustration of a home with with arched windows inundated with flood water

Fighting for a livable future: Exploring frontier climate interventions

As climate impacts accelerate faster than expected, philanthropist Kelly Erhart joins The Great Simplification to discuss cutting-edge climate science, looming tipping points, and experimental interventions that could help stabilize Earth’s systems.

3D image illustrating nuclear fusion
Copyright: Yurchanka/ BigStock Photo ID: 454747091

Clean, limitless energy exists. China is going big in the race to harness it.

Beijing is pouring vast resources into fusion research, while the U.S. wants private industry to lead the way. The winner could reshape civilization.
A yellow and black radiation warning sign

There is no such thing as a fail-safe nuclear power plant

As the Trump administration pushes to revive and expand nuclear power to fuel artificial intelligence and corporate profits, decades of accidents, radioactive waste, and unresolved cleanup costs reveal a technology that carries permanent risks for people and the planet.

Illustration of arm "netting " smokestack emissions
Copyright: Dmitrynew83/ BigStock Photo ID: 419550961

Carbon capture was spruiked as a way of limiting our emissions – but has Australia been greenwashed?

Despite billions in investment, carbon capture and storage technology ‘should be in no way treated as a climate solution’, critics say.

Roadside Sign: "Welcome to Wyoming"

Wyoming ranchers hoping solar can lower costs say utilities and the state stand in their way

Lower electricity bills could help two Cokeville cattlemen compete and pass their businesses on to their kids, they say, but lawmakers won’t let ranch-scale solar projects feed power to the grid.
From our Newsroom
Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

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