environmental news stories
Credit: Julie Lopez/Unsplash

Our 5 most read stories of 2023

Revisit the stories that most resonated with our readers this year.

It's always interesting to what stories touch people.


As with much of the internet, there often seems to be no real rhyme or reason. However, this year we found our audience remains engaged on PFAS chemicals in consumer products like oat milk and contact lenses. We also saw readers hungry for information on the East Palestine, Ohio, train spill and aftermath.

Check out what others have been reading. Below are our top five most read stories from the past year.

1. Testing finds glyphosate in two popular oat milks

glyphosate oat milk

Two out of 13 popular brands of oat milk had detectable levels of the controversial herbicide glyphosate, according to a report from Mamavation.

2. 800,000 tons of radioactive waste from Pennsylvania’s oil and gas industry has gone “missing”

fracking radioactive

Waste from the oil and gas industry contains toxic and radioactive substances. Disposal of this waste is supposed to be carefully tracked, but 800,000 tons of oil and gas waste from Pennsylvania oil and gas wells is unaccounted for, according to a study.

3. Are you putting PFAS on your eyeballs?

PFAS contacts lens

Eighteen kinds of soft contact lenses have detectable levels of organic fluorine, an indicator of the group of chemicals known as PFAS, according to a report from Mamavation.

4. After the eighth catastrophic train derailment in the greater Pittsburgh area in five years, advocates demand better protections

train derailment

In February, about 50 Norfolk Southern train cars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, about an hour northwest of Pittsburgh, causing an explosion and subsequent fire that continued burning through Sunday night.

5. The EPA has disclosed additional, concerning chemicals released during the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio

Ohio train derailment

In February, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sent a letter to Norfolk Southern Railway Co. that cited additional chemicals released during the company’s Feb. 3 train derailment in Ohio that were not previously known to the public.

A gleaming glass skyscraper with the word Allianz on the top.

Insurers warn climate change could unravel financial markets and endanger capitalism

A top executive at Allianz says the climate crisis is pushing insurance and broader financial systems toward collapse as rising temperatures and extreme weather make entire regions uninsurable.

Damian Carrington reports for The Guardian.

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Senator Whitehouse & climate change

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.
Hands of a man sitting at a desk with a laptop filling out a paper form with a pen.

Lawyers turn to pro bono work to drive climate solutions beyond the courtroom

A growing virtual bootcamp trains legal professionals to support climate initiatives through everything from contracts to corporate advising.

Claire Elise Thompson reports for Grist.

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Wind turbines in the distance with a yellow field in the foreground and a blue sky in the background.

Trump tariffs may raise U.S. wind energy prices and stall project growth

Tariffs proposed by President Trump could raise the cost of building wind power projects in the U.S., threatening the already fragile momentum of the renewable energy sector.

Stanley Reed reports for The New York Times.

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A sign in front of a Max-Planck Institut building with bushes nearby.
Credit: ginton/BigStock Photo ID: 71957491

Trump’s anti-science agenda is pushing American researchers overseas

A growing number of U.S. scientists are fleeing restrictive policies under Trump and finding support in Europe, where institutions are rolling out the red carpet for displaced talent.

Fred Schwaller reports for DW.

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hands holding food scraps above a green food composting bucket.
Credit: digitalista/BigStock Photo ID: 468529199

New approach to composting in Massachusetts relies on hands-on help, not just rules

In Massachusetts, a state composting mandate for businesses gets a major assist from a down-to-earth consultant who helps restaurants rethink what they throw away.

Somini Sengupta reports for The New York Times.

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An African man smiles as he stands in front of rural solar infrastructure and water tanks in a golden field.
Credit: Hamish John Appleby / IWMI Flickr Photos

How solar is helping African farmers beat drought and diesel

Solar-powered irrigation is quietly transforming small farms across Africa, helping farmers boost yields, cut costs, and ditch dirty diesel.

Aimable Twahirwa reports for Mongabay.

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A pig on a farm pokes its snout through a rusted cage with more pigs in background.
Credit: Tzido/Big Stock Photo ID: 4126064

Rural families use innovative DNA tool to track pig farm pollution

Communities living near factory farms are using a new scientific tool to track pig feces in their homes — and fight back.

Hana Mensendiek reports for U.S. Right To Know.

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From our Newsroom
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.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

joe biden

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

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