popular stories 2022

Our 5 most popular reads from 2022

A corpse, woodworking dangers, plastic titans ... revisit the stories that stuck with our readers this past year.

The totals are in — here are the five most viewed stories from our newsroom in 2022.


1. A corpse in a barrel in a drying reservoir

corpse in a barrel in a drying reservoir

Our weekend columnist Peter Dykstra is always on the lookout for the weird and wacky in the environmental realm.

With this column, he found it.

2. The hidden, potential cancer-causing, danger in woodworking and art supplies

BADGE BPA chemical

Reporter Meg Wilcox did a deep dive on a scary chemical that's common in woodworking and art supplies. Might want to check this one out before your next craft night.

3. The Titans of Plastic

petrochemical shell pennsylvania plastic

In collaboration with the excellent Sierra Magazine, reporter Kristina Marusic gives readers a clear-eyed look at the multi-faceted impacts of plastics production.

4. For clean beauty brands, getting PFAS out of makeup might be easier said than done

PFAS in makeup

We spent a good part of the beginning of 2022 examining PFAS chemicals in everyday products. This investigation into makeup caught the eye of readers.

5. Chemicals in everyday products are spurring obesity, warns a new review

chemicals obesity

Our weight depends on more than diet and exercise. Reporter Grace van Deelen reported on the latest research examining a concerning class of chemicals called "obesogens."


A view of the exterior of the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, DC

Inside the campaign to discredit a key climate science report

An emerging field of research that can measure how much climate change has worsened individual disasters is under attack by friends of the fossil fuel industry.

Colorful electrical thunderstorm activity

Why the media keep quoting the same climate scientist

Daniel Swain has a knack for breaking down the complexities of climate and weather into precise but accessible ideas.
Two men drilling a geothermal well for a residential geothermal heat pump.
Credit: RGtimeline/BigStock Photo ID: 208821436

Want a job drilling for geothermal? A Northeast training hub is coming

A worker shortage threatens to hold up America’s buildout of geothermal networks. These groups have a plan to address the problem, starting in Massachusetts.

Oil pump jacks at night with a starry sky in the background

Mark Carney adviser says AI data centres ‘provide markets’ for gas

Boosting energy production is one of the top ‘public policy benefits to Canada’ of data centers, says internal government document.

Vehicular entrance to Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida

Opinion: Feds order a Florida power plant to keep burning dirty coal

Instead of shutting down, the Orlando, Florida, plant must continue polluting the air and driving power bills higher.

Chinese coal-fired power plant emitting pollution from four stacks

Despite record renewable growth, China is still betting on coal

China’s power-sector emissions fell in 2025 for the first time in a decade, but a rebound in coal-fired generation raises doubts about whether the decline will last.
Wildland firefighters managing  a controlled burn

Can controlled burns reduce California’s air pollution?

A new Stanford University study finds that annual prescribed burning could substantially reduce smoke pollution during California’s worst wildfire years.
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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