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.

Image of Wind turbines, solar panels, and fossil fuel power plants.
Credit: jaroslavav/ BigStock Photo ID: 83377346

How China raced ahead on clean energy while America clung to oil

Even as the climate crisis intensifies, China and the U.S. are charting wildly different energy paths — one doubling down on clean tech, the other on fossil fuels.

David Gelles, Somini Sengupta, Keith Bradsher, and Brad Plumer report from four continents for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Dakota Access Pipeline protesters hold signs  and raise fists.

Greenpeace faces ruin after oil giant wins lawsuit rewriting Standing Rock history

The company behind the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) convinced a North Dakota jury to blame Greenpeace for protests led by Indigenous activists — and now the nonprofit faces a $666 million penalty.

Episode one of SLAPP’d, a multipart podcast focusing on the Greenpeace/DAPL trial.

Alleen Brown reports for Drilled.

Keep reading...Show less
Image of Wind turbines, solar panels, and power plant towers.
Credit: jaroslavav/ BigStock Photo ID: 83377346

Senate passes ​GOP budget bill, hampering US shift to clean energy

A Senate-approved Republican budget bill would gut core parts of the 2022 climate law, stalling clean energy growth and likely raising Americans’ utility bills. The bill now goes to the House for final approval.

Matthew Daly reports for the Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
Person holding No Nature No Future signage during a demonstration.

World leaders stall as Cop30 looms and climate pledges remain unfinished

With just four months until the United Nations climate summit in Brazil, most countries have yet to submit updated emissions plans, threatening the world’s ability to stay below the 1.5C warming threshold.

Fiona Harvey reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
Saudi Aramco flag with a skyscraper in background.

Saudi oil official’s role in climate science report raises conflict of interest concerns

A longtime Saudi Aramco employee’s nomination to help lead a major United Nations climate report has sparked fresh questions about fossil fuel influence inside the world’s top climate science body.

Karl Mathiesen reports for POLITICO.

Keep reading...Show less
four people on ice near icebergs during daytime.

Ocean salinity shifts are melting Antarctic sea ice faster, scientists find

Rising salt levels near Antarctica are altering ocean dynamics, drawing up warm water and accelerating sea ice loss, new satellite data reveal.

Sachi Kitajima Mulkey reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
Two soccer players collide mid-air as the ball bounces off one of their heads.

Vermont soccer club kicks toward a cleaner future

In Burlington, Vermont, a scrappy amateur soccer team is drawing crowds and taking climate action one game at a time.

Cara Buckley reports for The New York Times.

Keep reading...Show less
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.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.