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 a forested ridge with a wildfire burning in the background

Tribes hit hard by wildfires face health effects, cultural losses

Tribal leaders across Washington and Oregon say this year’s record-breaking wildfires burned timber that they rely on for income, threatened food sources and waterways, and harmed the health of their communities.

A closeup of a roof with a sprinkler system installed on it

Rooftop rainwater sprinkler systems could help cool warming cities, study says

Researchers have designed a model to simulate how widely distributed rooftop rainwater collection tanks combined with smart rooftop sprinkler systems could help moderate urban heat island effects.

A housing tract with a house with solar panels on the roof

Judge says EPA illegally canceled $7B solar program

A federal judge in Rhode Island has ruled that the Trump administration illegally terminated a $7 billion Solar for All program intended to make solar power accessible to more than 900,000 lower-income Americans.
A green plant in a row of crops

Scientists developing new soybean to store carbon, withstand drought

Researchers are engineering soybeans with deeper, larger root systems that could help crops withstand drought while storing more carbon underground.

Glaciers hanging over an alpine lake formed by glacial meltwater

How climate change worsened Nepal's deadly mountain collapse

A glacier and rock collapse in Nepal killed nearly 1,400 people and left thousands missing. Scientists say decades of warming helped set the disaster in motion.
‘Forcing a reckoning’: How Asia is preparing for a ‘supersized’ El Niño

‘Forcing a reckoning’: How Asia is preparing for a ‘supersized’ El Niño

From Sri Lanka to South Korea, governments are preparing for droughts, wildfires, typhoons and floods – with climate plans facing their biggest challenge to date.

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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