soil pollution
Credit: Adam Isacson/Flickr/ Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Oil companies divide Indigenous Amazon communities where the state fails to show up
In Ecuador’s Amazon, oil companies have taken over the roles of health providers, educators, and employers — fracturing Indigenous communities and undermining their autonomy in the process.
Emilia Paz y Miño and Isabela Ponce report for Mongabay and GK.
In short:
- For decades, oil companies operating in Block 10 have stepped in where Ecuador’s government hasn’t, offering healthcare, education, and jobs in exchange for access to Indigenous land.
- These services come at a cost: Companies pit communities against each other, deepen internal divisions, and offer only short-term benefits while polluting the land and water.
- Indigenous leaders like Rosa Aranda are pushing back, demanding accountability and trying to preserve community control and unity in the face of oil industry encroachment.
Key quote:
“They have provided jobs in certain areas, such as environmental outreach and health care, but not in others, due to a territorial dispute with the community of Villano, who took our places saying that the pipeline doesn’t pass through our land."
— Rosa Aranda, President of Moretecocha, Indigenous governing body formed of eight Kichwa communities
Why this matters:
When extractive industries replace the state, they create dependence and erode the social fabric. Communities once bound together by shared tradition and land are now split by uneven access to oil-funded benefits. In addition to polluting ecosystems, these corporate power grabs leave behind deeper inequality and worsen health outcomes in some of the most remote, vulnerable communities.
Read more: The planet’s largest ecosystems could collapse faster than we thought
Keep reading...Show less
Newsletter
Credit: cdholder/Big Stock Photo
Midwestern dust storms double as climate change and farming strip soil bare
A powerful dust storm swept through Illinois in May, part of a growing national trend tied to rising temperatures and land mismanagement that’s turning once-rare events into routine hazards.
In short:
- A May 16 dust storm in central Illinois reached wind speeds of 60 mph, blanketing roads and farmland in thick dust and triggering the state’s first dust storm warning in Chicago in four decades.
- Nationwide, the annual number of dust storms more than doubled from an average of 34 (1996–2010) to 87 (2011–2024), with Arizona, California, Kansas, and Texas reporting the highest numbers.
- Scientists link the rise to climate change and industrial agriculture, particularly row-crop fields left bare post-harvest and lacking windbreaks like trees, which leaves soil vulnerable to wind erosion.
Key quote:
“These are man-made ecological disasters, driven by a form of agriculture that exploits and depletes the land, leaving millions of acres of soil exposed and eroding for half the year.”
— Robert Hirschfeld, director of water policy at Prairie Rivers Network
Why this matters:
Dust storms are creeping into the Midwest, where fertile soil is the backbone of U.S. agriculture. The storms carry fertilizer residue, pesticides, and other pollutants into rivers, lungs, and crops. The combination of hotter temperatures and intensive row cropping —especially corn and soy — strips fields of cover and speeds erosion, threatening both environmental and public health. Rural roads can become impassable, crops damaged or lost, and accidents spike when visibility drops to zero. These storms also aggravate respiratory diseases like asthma and COPD, especially in children and seniors. With climate change advancing and voluntary conservation programs lagging, regions that once boasted stable growing conditions are becoming more volatile.
Learn more: Drought and heat drive a surge in dangerous dust storms across the Southwest
Keep reading...Show less
Credit: State Farm/Flickr
How a firestorm in LA sparked a coast-to-coast science mission to track toxic exposure
In the wake of LA’s devastating wildfires, scientists from across the country launched a sweeping real-time health study to track lingering toxic pollutants in homes that never burned.
In short:
- A cross-university team formed the LA Fire Health Study Consortium to study long-term toxic exposure — like PFAS, microplastics, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and heavy metals — in areas downwind of the January wildfires.
- While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers declined to test soil, researchers filled the gap by collecting air, water, and soil samples from 50 unburned homes, some of which still showed dangerous levels of contaminants.
- Preliminary data revealed indoor air pollution and VOCs remained elevated weeks after fires, prompting public health recommendations for filtration and long-term monitoring.
Key quote:
“People deserve to know what they are being exposed to, and I have the tools to help them find out.”
— Emma Landskroner, Ph.D. candidate at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health
Why this matters:
Toxic exposure doesn’t end when the flames go out; families returning to seemingly undamaged homes may still face serious health risks. Wildfire smoke creeps into bedrooms, clings to toys and personal effects, and enters our lungs. With the Army Corps of Engineers stepping back from soil testing, it’s scientists, not officials, doing the work to understand what people are breathing in and what long-term exposure could mean for our health.
Keep reading...Show less
Michigan reimagines its toxic land as a solar-powered future
Michigan wants to clean up its polluted past by turning contaminated industrial sites into a new solar-powered frontier.
In short:
- Michigan has over 24,000 contaminated brownfield sites, many left behind by heavy industry, and advocates see solar energy as a powerful way to reclaim these spaces.
- A recent survey found residents overwhelmingly support solar on previously disturbed land — like retired coal plants — over forests or farmland, reflecting broader public health and environmental priorities.
- The state is moving forward with a $129 million U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grant to build solar projects on these “orphan” lands, though regulatory gaps, grid delays, and zoning issues remain major hurdles.
Key quote:
“The work now is to chart the near-term future of how Michiganders get their energy. This can be talked about through the lens of climate or the environment, but the public health ramifications are enormous as well."
— Kelly Thayer, senior policy advocate, Environmental Law & Policy Center
Why this matters:
With a $129 million EPA grant in hand, the state is trying to turn remediation potential into reality. That dream still runs into the messy reality of grid bottlenecks, clunky zoning rules, and a regulatory maze that wasn’t built for a clean energy future. But if Michigan can cut through the red tape, these “orphan” lands might finally get their second act — and bring cleaner air, local jobs, and long-overdue investment along with them.
Read more: In the race for clean energy, the US is both a leader and a laggard — here’s how
Keep reading...Show less
Mushrooms are cleaning up wildfire ruins — and may revive toxic land across America
After the deadly Los Angeles wildfires turned homes into chemical-laced rubble, one scientist is using mushrooms and native plants to detoxify the land and rethink how to clean up after disaster.
In short:
- Environmental toxicologist Danielle Stevenson is pioneering a sustainable cleanup method by planting native fungi and plants that naturally extract toxins from soil scorched by wildfires.
- Her technique, trialed successfully on LA brownfields like Taylor Yard, dramatically reduced petrochemical pollution and revived dead zones into thriving ecosystems within a year.
- Stevenson’s work challenges conventional “dig and dump” methods that relocate contaminated soil, often untreated, and could spark a broader “mycoeconomy” of fungi-powered environmental repair.
Key quote:
“I’ve seen amazing reductions in contaminants in relatively short times with very few inputs. I really believe in this stuff.”
— Danielle Stevenson, founder of the Centre for Applied Ecological Remediation
Why this matters:
Paired with native plants, these fungi may constitute a new approach to restoration — one that doesn’t rely on hauling toxic soil to another zip code, but on cleaning it where it lies. This is also climate adaptation: With wildfires expected to grow in scale and intensity, bioremediation could offer a cheaper, healthier, and more sustainable way to protect scorched communities from chemical exposure while healing the land. Stay tuned: Stevenson is now working to publish her findings in peer-reviewed journals.
Read more: How fungi could help clean up our biggest toxic messes
Keep reading...Show less
Credit: Photo by Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash
Trump’s EPA quietly backs off from enforcing pollution laws
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically scaled back enforcement against major polluters, raising fears about the future of public health protections.
In short:
- In the first three months of Trump’s second term, the EPA has filed no major pollution cases and is initiating around 100 fewer civil enforcement actions per month than during Biden’s last fiscal year.
- EPA staff say all major cases were paused in April for review by political appointees, and enforcement is being filtered through a higher bar — effectively granting polluters more leeway.
- Several cases finalized under Trump were in fact initiated and negotiated under Biden, further obscuring the administration’s enforcement record.
Key quote:
““The future is grim for environmental protection. The risk will be most felt in overburdened communities, but this will hurt red and blue districts alike. If the EPA cop is not on the beat, then people are going to be harmed.”
— Gary Jonesi, former top EPA enforcement attorney and director of CREEDemocracy
Why this matters:
For frontline communities — especially those already choking on refinery fumes or watching industrial runoff trickle into local waterways — the scaling back of enforcement has serious consequences. Environmental enforcement protects communities from harmful pollution that can cause cancer, respiratory disease, and neurological damage, among other acute and chronic health problems. The federal pullback could leave millions at risk while letting industry operate without accountability.
Keep reading...Show less
Newsletter
Credit: HannaKuprevich/Big Stock Photo
Soil tests reveal toxic metals lingering in L.A. burn zones after government cleanup
After federal agencies declined to test soil for toxic substances following the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, Los Angeles Times reporters conducted independent testing and found alarming levels of contamination on properties across Los Angeles County.
Tony Briscoe, Noah Haggerty and Hayley Smith report for the Los Angeles Times.
In short:
- Soil testing revealed hazardous levels of arsenic, lead, and mercury on multiple properties previously cleared by federal disaster crews, with some sites exceeding California’s residential safety standards by more than three times.
- The Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers removed debris and scraped topsoil but did not conduct soil sampling, leaving thousands of homeowners unaware of possible contamination.
- Health risks from the metals include neurological damage in children, cancer, and respiratory and kidney harm, with experts warning that homeowners now bear the burden of costly testing and remediation.
Key quote:
“Without effective hazard communication, you don’t give people the option to make good choices. It’s beyond wrong. It’s immoral.”
— Jane Williams, executive director of California Communities Against Toxics
Why this matters:
Soil contamination after wildfires is a growing public health and environmental concern, especially as climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of these disasters. Toxic substances like lead, arsenic, and mercury can remain in soil long after fires, posing risks not only to current residents but also to future generations who may unknowingly be exposed. The legacy of older construction materials — such as lead-based paint and arsenic-treated wood — compounds the danger.
The absence of mandatory post-fire soil testing places the onus on homeowners to detect and address contamination, often at great personal expense. This privatization of environmental health responsibilities reflects broader patterns of environmental injustice, where lower-income and underinsured residents are left to face disproportionate health risks. As more wildfires consume older housing stock across California and the nation, unchecked soil pollution could quietly undermine recovery efforts and long-term community health.
Read more: EPA's wildfire debris cleanup plan sparks backlash in Los Angeles
Keep reading...Show less
ORIGINAL REPORTING
MOST POPULAR
CLIMATE
