Rows of crops stretching into the distance.

European crops fueled by fracked U.S. gas despite clean fertilizer claims

Despite pledges of sustainable production, European chemical giants Yara and BASF are using fracked shale gas from Texas to make ammonia-based fertilizer, a new investigation reveals.

Agathe Bounfour and Clare Carlile report for The Guardian.


In short:

  • The Yara and BASF ammonia plant in Freeport, Texas, touted as sustainable, actually relies on hydrogen derived from fracked shale gas in the Permian Basin, contradicting its green branding.
  • Documents show the hydrogen byproduct used in ammonia production comes from Dow’s ethylene cracker, which is powered by natural gas, indirectly increasing fossil fuel demand.
  • Despite its environmental impact, ammonia from the Texas plant is exported to Europe, where it's used in fertilizer manufacturing, with Ireland, the UK, and Spain among top importers.

Key quote:

“The Freeport facility is making ammonia out of hydrogen derived from fossil gas – plain and simple.”

— Taylor Hodge, agrochemicals campaigner, Center for International Environmental Law

Why this matters:

The global fertilizer industry is a massive but under-scrutinized driver of climate change. Fertilizer production, especially ammonia synthesis, consumes immense energy and produces significant emissions — more than aviation and shipping combined. While companies increasingly tout “green” technologies and lower-carbon innovations, many still rely on fossil fuel infrastructure. This creates a façade of sustainability while deepening dependence on polluting energy sources. Fracked gas, central to the Freeport plant’s process, emits high levels of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, and pollutes air and water near extraction sites. Communities in the U.S. Gulf South disproportionately bear these harms, while the end products fuel industrial agriculture thousands of miles away.

Read more: Soils reveal a hidden cost of farming, and fertilizers

A view of water with wind turbines in the distance.
Credit: A. C/Unsplash+

Trump officials quietly tighten control over renewable energy projects on public lands

The U.S. Interior Department now requires wind and solar projects on federal land to receive personal approval from Secretary Doug Burgum, a move that could delay clean energy development across millions of acres.

Josh Siegel and Zack Colman report for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less
A bullet train speeding down the track with blurred landscape around it.

Trump pulls $4 billion from California bullet train project, escalating feud with Newsom

The Trump administration has revoked $4 billion in federal funding for California’s long-delayed high-speed rail line between Los Angeles and San Francisco, sparking legal threats from Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Frances Vinall reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
A man stands on a rock overlooking a hazy Grand Canyon on a sunny day.

Parks lose ground on clean air as wildfire smoke and budget cuts grow

Air quality across U.S. national parks has improved since the 1990s, but growing wildfire smoke and shrinking federal budgets threaten to reverse those gains.

Niko Kommenda reports for The Washington Post.

Keep reading...Show less
Coal plant with smokestacks and the setting sun in the distance.

Virginia clean energy advocates question reliability of new federal energy report promoting coal

A recent U.S. Department of Energy report ordered by President Trump promotes coal-fired power as essential to grid reliability, but Virginia clean energy advocates say it overlooks climate risks and mounting financial losses.

Charles Paullin reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
A highway entering the Tongass National Forest with mountains and trees in the background.

Trump administration revives plan to open Alaska’s Tongass rainforest to logging

The Trump administration has announced plans to eliminate protections for roadless areas in national forests, including Alaska’s Tongass, potentially opening millions of acres of wilderness to logging and development.

Ted Williams reports for Yale Environment 360.

Keep reading...Show less
Street signs saying Wall St with a skyscraper in the background.
Credit: Lo Lo/Unsplash

Wall Street firms move to buy electric utilities as data centers drive energy demand

BlackRock and Blackstone are seeking to acquire utilities in Minnesota, New Mexico, and Texas to profit from the electricity needs of expanding data centers, raising concerns from consumer advocates about rate hikes and service reliability.

Ivan Penn reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Interior of an industrial plant with a dusty forklift.

Trump administration halts hydrogen furnace project in polluted Ohio steel town

A plan to replace a coal-fired furnace at an Ohio steel mill with cleaner hydrogen technology has stalled after the Trump administration withdrew key federal support.

Stephen Starr reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
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.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.