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."


Ilulissat, Greenland - coastal village with icebergs floating in bay

Arctic scientists 'feel pretty uncomfortable' on Greenland

Science in the Arctic — and Greenland — is on the frontline of pressing challenges facing humanity, like climate change and genetics. Some researchers worry international collaboration is at risk.
Donald Trump speaking at the 2013 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.
Credit: Gage Skidmore/ https://www.flickr.com/photos/gageskidmore/8566717881/ https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Trump’s biggest climate rollback stalls over fears it will lose in court

Trump officials have delayed finalizing the repeal of the agency’s “endangerment finding” over concerns the proposal is too weak to withstand a court challenge.
Solar panels juxtaposed against transmission lines and wind turbines
Credit: kckate16/ BigStock Photo ID: 478351339

Trump’s attacks on renewables could boomerang, hit oil and gas

The president’s assaults on wind and solar projects could become a playbook for disrupting fossil fuel plans in the future.
Oil pumps against a sunset sky background
Credit: bashta/ BigStock Photo ID: 7936000

New lawsuit claims ‘catastrophic impacts’ from Permian Basin injection wells

A Permian Basin landowner alleges in a lawsuit that saltwater injection wells contributed to well blow-outs that caused extensive pollution on his property.

Oil pump jacks silhouetted against a blue sky

OK state senator seeks to rein in oil companies’ groundwater pollution

An investigation found over 150 incidents where oilfield wastewater had gushed from the earth, releasing toxic chemicals — including some that cause cancer — near homes and farms and into drinking water sources.

A view at dusk of highways leading into an urban downtown with skyscapers

Houston plans to hit UN climate targets despite Paris Agreement exit

Houston has its own Climate Action Plan to meet Paris Agreement targets, set in motion when Trump announced his first withdrawal from the UN treaty in 2017.
An illustration of a row of solar panels and wind turbines

The one big beautiful prediction: The energy transition is still alive

Trump has attacked renewable power from every angle, but energy justice scholar Sanya Carley envisions an affordable green future.
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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