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Federal orders put pressure on science journals to drop inclusive language
A federally funded health journal asked researchers to cut demographic data and the word “equitably” from a peer-reviewed paper — raising alarms about political interference in public health research.
In short:
- Anthropologists Tamar Antin and Rachelle Annechino withdrew their accepted study from Public Health Reports after the journal requested edits to remove language allegedly conflicting with Trump-era executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- These directives are chilling scientific publishing at key government-linked journals, with researchers self-censoring and journals like Environmental Health Perspectives pausing new submissions due to federal uncertainty.
- Many editors say politically motivated edits — like deleting demographic data — threaten research integrity and hinder progress in public health equity.
Key quote:
“Their executive orders are specifically trying to censor research related to populations who are experiencing the most inequities in health.”
— Tamar Antin, anthropologist at the Center for Critical Public Health
Why this matters:
Public health depends on understanding who’s affected, why, and how to fix it. If journals start slicing out demographic context or pretend inequities don’t exist, then the science becomes unreliable and incomplete by way of omission. Some researchers are now speaking out about the impacts, calling the Trump administration's policies not only unscientific, but unethical — and possibly illegal.
Read more: An open letter from EPA staff to the American public
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EPA guts science, staff, and environmental justice in sweeping shakeup
The Trump administration is rapidly transforming the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from a public health watchdog into an industry-first agency, leaving longtime staffers fearful and programs gutted.
In short:
- More than 1,500 EPA staffers have been pushed toward resignation or early retirement, especially those working in environmental justice and public health research. The agency plans to slash its budget by 65% and eliminate key science offices.
- Administrator Lee Zeldin is replacing traditional EPA priorities with a focus on artificial intelligence and auto industry revival, moves that insiders say have nothing to do with protecting people from pollution.
- Longstanding bipartisan programs to protect vulnerable communities are being dismantled, while staff report a culture of fear and political loyalty tests driving decisions.
Key quote:
“As administrator Zeldin has repeatedly stressed, ‘environmental justice’ has been used primarily as an excuse to fund left-wing activist groups instead of actually spending those dollars on directly remediating the specific environmental issues that need to be addressed.”
— EPA press office
Why this matters:
With thousands of experts in environmental justice and health research pushed out the door, and budget cuts gutting the agency's science, the message is loud and clear: Regulation is out, deregulation is the new order. As the EPA’s scientific backbone and justice programs are gutted, communities already burdened by pollution are left more vulnerable, and the country is losing the very people trained to protect public health in the face of environmental harm.
Read more:
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The Great Lakes want to be the Silicon Valley of water
As climate extremes dry out the West and global tensions mount, the Great Lakes region is betting big on its most abundant resource: fresh water. The first in a series investigating the blue economy in the Great Lakes region.
Brett Walton reports for the Great Lakes News Collaborative: Bridge Michigan, Circle of Blue, Great Lakes Now, Michigan Public, and The Narwhal.
In short:
- Officials and entrepreneurs are pitching the Great Lakes as a global hub for water innovation, backed by research universities, manufacturing, and infrastructure investments.
- Government funding and environmental cleanups have turned polluted shorelines into economic engines — but rising property values are displacing long-time residents.
- Despite massive potential, political instability, trade barriers, and weak environmental enforcement threaten progress on climate resilience and water stewardship.
Key quote:
“The supply of fresh water is essential to our quality of life and creates a competitive advantage for our region. Midwesterners understand the importance of the Great Lakes.”
— Howard Learner, executive director of the Environmental Law and Policy Center
Why this matters:
The way we manage and invest in water today could shape our health, economy, and climate resilience for decades to come. In a country where drought is draining the West and climate chaos is becoming the new normal, the Great Lakes are starting to look like a liquid goldmine. The series poses an important question: How can the states, provinces, and tribal nations manage their water to foster a thriving economy while avoiding the ecological damage done during an earlier industrial era?
Read more: Microplastics and algae tangle in the Great Lakes
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Newsletter
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Traces of pharmaceuticals are contaminating rivers and oceans worldwide
Pharmaceuticals from human waste, industry, and agriculture are polluting global waterways and potentially fueling antibiotic resistance and ecological disruptions.
In short:
- A global study found that over a quarter of sampled river sites in 104 countries had unsafe levels of pharmaceutical contamination, including antibiotics and antidepressants.
- In low-income countries with weak wastewater infrastructure, drug pollution is especially severe and can harm ecosystems by altering wildlife behavior and reducing microbial diversity.
- Climate change intensifies the problem by altering river flows and increasing antibiotic-resistant bacteria through prolonged low-level exposure in warming waters.
Key quote:
“There is a real threat of the development of antimicrobial resistance, and that then can have all sorts of flow-on effects on wildlife, but also human health.”
— Michael Bertram, study co-author and behavioral ecologist at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Why this matters:
Drug pollution in rivers and oceans is a growing but largely invisible threat to environmental and public health. These contaminants, though often diluted, can alter animal behavior, disrupt ecosystems, and help bacteria evolve resistance to antibiotics. Warming waters and more frequent extreme weather — driven by climate change — exacerbate these effects by either concentrating pollutants during droughts or releasing untreated sewage during floods. Antibiotic resistance, in particular, is a ticking time bomb that threatens to render some modern medicines useless. Meanwhile, contamination can ripple through the food chain, from algae and fish to top predators, including humans. These chemicals don't just vanish; they persist, travel, and interact with wildlife in ways scientists are only beginning to understand.
Related EHN coverage: Pharmaceutical makers sending drug-spiked water to treatment plants
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EPA scientists told to reapply for new jobs amid reorganization push
A sweeping reorganization at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may cost hundreds of scientists their jobs and curtail independent research on public health and the environment.
In short:
- Political officials at the EPA have reportedly told scientists to apply for newly posted jobs or risk termination, part of a broad restructuring under the Trump administration.
- Internal communications suggest lab research in the Office of Research and Development may halt due to a lack of supplies, though the EPA disputes those claims and says research is ongoing.
- The agency aims to cut its workforce by thousands and shift research responsibilities to regulatory offices, sparking concerns about the loss of scientific independence and institutional knowledge.
Key quote:
“Without the evolution of the science …we would see a difference that EPA will do less to protect public health and the environment.”
— Chris Frey, former head of the Office of Research and Development under the Biden administration
Why this matters:
The future of environmental science at the federal level looks increasingly precarious. The Environmental Protection Agency's research arm plays a pivotal role in assessing the health impacts of air and water pollution, chemical exposures, and climate change. Independent, peer-reviewed science underpins the EPA’s regulations, from setting safe drinking water standards to determining which pesticides stay on the market. The downsizing of labs and loss of expert staff would come as the U.S. faces mounting public health challenges from toxic chemicals, extreme weather, and industrial pollution. And shifting research to policy offices risks entangling science with political agendas.
Related: Europe steps up funding to attract U.S. scientists facing cuts under Trump
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Plastic makers exaggerate recycled claims using flawed accounting
A system called “mass balance” lets companies credit virgin plastic as recycled, raising concerns from watchdogs and prompting a shareholder revolt at snack giant Mondelez.
In short:
- Mondelez plans to use mass balance accounting to claim that up to 50% of its Triscuit packaging contains chemically recycled plastic, though it hasn't labeled products as such.
- Experts argue that mass balance allows companies to falsely market plastics as “recycled” even when the material is mostly virgin and when recycled content is burned or turned into fuel instead.
- A shareholder resolution demands that Mondelez justify its claims, warning that the practice adds legal and financial risk while doing little to curb plastic pollution.
Key quote:
“This is just a bogus scheme.”
— Jan Dell, chemical engineer, founder of The Last Beach Cleanup, and Mondelez shareholder
Why this matters:
The public has been told for years that recycling is a straightforward path to environmental sustainability. But the reality for plastic is murkier — and often misleading. The chemical recycling process known as pyrolysis turns plastic waste into an oil that rarely ends up as new packaging. Instead, it’s commonly burned or downgraded into lubricants and waxes. The so-called “mass balance” approach used to account for this process doesn’t track where recycled content ends up; it just assigns credits on paper. That means companies can market their products as eco-friendly even when little to no recycled plastic is actually used. The recycling of plastic is itself controversial, damaging the environment and polluting nearby communities while producing dubious benefits.
Related:
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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
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