journalism

Our top 5 long reads of 2021

Check out must-read, in-depth reporting from the past year.

In a world of quick clips and soundbites, long-form journalism can be a tough sell. But some stories just deserve the space and attention.


Here are five long reads that rise to that level. Grab a coffee or tea, close your Twitter tab, and support the kind of reporting that can spark change.

1. Fractured: The body burden of living near fracking

fracking children health

In this 4-part investigative series, EHN finds western Pennsylvania families near fracking are exposed to harmful chemicals, and regulations fail to protect communities' mental, physical, and social health.

2. Why Indigenous women are risking arrest to fight Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline through Minnesota

enbridge line 3 indigenous

Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline construction is running into tribal resistance over fears of water pollution, wild rice impacts, climate change, and exploitation of Native women.

3. We’re dumping loads of retardant chemicals to fight wildfires. What does it mean for wildlife?

wildfires climate change

As western wildfires become bigger and more intense, state and federal fire agencies are using more and more aerial fire retardant, prompting concerns over fish kills, aquatic life, and water quality.

4. Pollution’s mental toll: How air, water and climate pollution shape our mental health

environmental justice

A collaboration between Environmental Health News and The Allegheny Front found alarming evidence that residents throughout the western Pennsylvania region are likely suffering changes to their brains due to pollution in the surrounding environment.

A man wearing a business suit riding his bike to work

Encouragement boosts people’s likelihood to take climate action

Framing climate action as “doing more good” instead of “doing less bad” makes people more willing to act and feel better about it, a study finds.
A stack of particle board viewed from the side

A climate case for turning farm waste to building materials

Wheat straw and rice husks already appear in niche construction products. A new study explores the global climate effects if they went mainstream.
Child sitting in a doorway and looking down at the ground

The world has pledged to triple climate financing for poorer countries. Is the UK about to U-turn?

The UK has been warned that cutting climate financing for poorer countries would be an “act of self-harm” that would hinder its global influence and damage food security.

The blue and white Energy Star logo sticker

Energy Star program survives Trump administration's budget cuts

Energy Star, the program that helps guide consumers to more energy-efficient appliances and electronics, has survived President Donald Trump’s attempt to kill it.
An aerial view of a nickel mining operation

Canadian nickel mine’s plan to store carbon in waste rock

The Crawford Nickel mine outside Timmins, Ontario, is receiving millions of public dollars to figure out how to lower greenhouse gas emissions.

A row of solar panels with the city of Shanghai in the background

China to see solar capacity outstrip coal capacity this year

The China Electricity Council says that, by the end of 2026, wind and solar will account for nearly half of China’s power capacity.

A tin hut with a small solar panel on the roof

Solar energy gains ground across Africa, but challenges persist

Solar power is expanding rapidly across Africa, with some countries now generating a significant share of electricity from the sun, but energy poverty, battery risks and rising costs threaten future growth.
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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