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."


Aerial view of a town surrounded by trees

This Washington city is still open to proposal for 21 data centers

Citizen concerns about resources and public notifications won't stop consideration of Amazon project.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the 72th session of the UN General Assembly in New York
Credit: palinchak/BigStock Photo ID: 206391151

‘Fight harder,’ U.N. Chief António Guterres implores, rousing climate ambassadors at COP31

The United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, spoke at COP31, a meeting aimed at reducing emissions, amid a sharp drop in attendance by world leaders.
A view of a row of wind turbines with the sea in the background

US and rest of world must follow China’s lead on green energy, says John Kerry

China is leading the world in moving away from fossil fuels, and the rest of the globe — including the US — must now follow, the former US secretary of state John Kerry says.

A maintenance worker walking across solar panels on a roof

Brazil to present plan for moving economies toward renewable energies

Brazil has launched a long-awaited road map to help countries transition from fossil fuels to renewable energies.
Backlit celebration indicating rallying round the American flag

Democrats won big. Does that mean climate is back on the agenda?

Even if legislators shy away from the word “climate,” it is deeply tied to top priorities on affordability and data centers.
White steam flows from the huge 548 foot cooling towers at Vogtle Electric Generating Plant near Waynesboro Georgia.
Credit: Denton Rumsey/BigStock Photo ID: 47299936

New Dem regulators plan to take on Georgia Power’s data center gas boom

For the first time in 30 years, the state’s utility commission will have a Democratic majority — and they’re targeting Georgia Power’s costly fossil gas buildout.

Gulf Stream chart. Warm surface and cold subsurface flow in the Atlantic Ocean between North and South America, Africa, Europe and Greenland.
Credit: Peter Hermes Furian/BigStock Photo ID: 253525735

Weakening ocean currents could send globe into new ice age: report

Winters across the Eastern Seaboard and Midwest aren’t mild, but a change in ocean currents might dial up weather to new extremes.
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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