Weekend Reader for Sunday, Dec. 31

Weekend Reader for Sunday, Dec. 31

The most breathtaking evidence yet that the Swamp isn't being drained; Trump gets climate science wrong, again; Looking back at 2017, and looking ahead at more of the same for 2018; A perfect ending to a surreal 2017.

Top Weekend News

Optimism for 2018? If that's what you're after, for goodness sake, don't look here. The implosion of U.S. environmental politics in 2017 is likely to worsen in 2018. But there are some hopeful signs on the horizon.


Recycling turmoil: The always-volatile recycling industry is coping with its latest setback: China, a primary destination for U.S. recyclables, is banning import of "foreign waste.

Texas Tea's mood swings: Big-brain piece by Lawrence Wright in the New Yorker on whether Texas can break its boom/bust dependency on Big Oil.

Today's Climate must-read: How climate deniers game the system at Google to make science-free stories and diatribes show up at the top of your climate search results.

Opinions and Editorials

From fast-growing southwest Florida, the Naples Daily News counts up the progress and setbacks on the environment.

An energy Industry observer says 2018 is the pivotal year for solar versus coal. One one will emerge at year's end as a global leader.

Bloomberk.com weighs in on a rarely-asked, all-important question: Can the public handle the truth on the environment?

This Week in Trump

Several reasons for hope in 2018 U.S. environmental policy. But many more for despair. Many EHN and Daily Climate readers contact us, asking if we can publish more good news. Well, here it is for 2018 -- but it's still overwhelmed by the likelihood of bad news in U.S. environmental policy and politics. Just sayin'.

This, IMHO, is no way to drain a swamp. Albert Kelly is a longtime associate of EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The FDIC slapped the Oklahoma banker with a heavy fine and effectively banned him from any involvement with the banking industry again. Pruitt rewarded his old crony with the chairmanship of an EPA task force to "streamline" the perpetually controversial Superfund program. The story is brought to us by Sharon Lerner, a superb muckraker for The Intercept.

A Zinke joyride? A Newsweek investigation has raised questions about Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke using scarce wildfire funding for non-essential helicopter travel.

Perfect Ending to a Surreal Year

I'm from Jersey, and yes, I actually have a Cousin Vinny. But a more famous Vinny from Jersey schooled the President on climate science.chooled the President on climate science. Vinny Guadagnino, former cast member from MTV's "Jersey Shore," set things right when Trump Tweeted that last week's cold and snowfall in the Northeast bolstered his longstanding claim that climate change is a hoax.

Trump's fellow reality TV star responded in a Tweet that global warming "has to do with disruptions of atmospheric conditions, ocean patterns, jet streams, and shit like that."

A group of people march with science advocating for science.

Scientists fight back against funding cuts and policy threats

The Trump administration’s attacks on science — slashing research funding, silencing researchers, and threatening grants — are pushing scientists out of the lab and into activism.

Heidi Ledford and Alexandra Witze report for Nature.

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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.
Oil pump jacks and flares with vegetation in foreground.
Credit: Charles Henry/Flickr

Texas oil boom fuels prosperity but leaves a deadly toll on workers and roads

The Permian Basin, now responsible for nearly half of U.S. oil output, is booming again, but its workforce is paying a deadly price, with over 30 oil workers and hundreds of motorists killed annually.

Part one of a four-part series.

Saul Elbein reports for the Pulitzer Center and The Hill.

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Images of a chicken and a pig fade into images of piles of pharmaceutical capsules.
Credit: Fahroni/BigStock Photo ID: 458065913

Big Pharma’s quiet stake in keeping meat on the menu

The pharmaceutical industry has long been intertwined with factory farming, and now companies like Elanco are pushing back against plant-based meat alternatives to protect their bottom line.

Kenny Torrella reports for Vox.

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An African man and woman pour water on a trough of charcoal and move it around with a stick.
Credit: Owen Allen/Flickr

Biochar might be an even bigger climate solution than we thought

Turning plant waste into biochar has long been touted as a way to store carbon, but new research suggests it could remain locked away for thousands of years — far longer than previously believed.

Matt Simon reports for Grist.

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Basel’s green roof revolution: an image of buildings with plants growing on the rooftops.
Credit: Matt/Flickr

Basel’s green roof revolution is creating a thriving urban ecosystem

Hidden above Basel’s streets, thousands of green roofs are transforming the Swiss city’s skyline, offering a model for urban biodiversity, climate resilience, and policy-driven change.

Ajit Niranjan reports for The Guardian.

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A yellow and black sign saying Break Free from Fossil Fuels

Major fossil fuel companies linked to half of global carbon emissions

Just 36 fossil fuel companies accounted for half of the world’s carbon emissions in 2023, with emissions continuing to rise despite global climate commitments.

Damian Carrington reports for The Guardian.

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The White House in Washington DC

Nonprofits still blocked from $20 billion in climate funds amid investigations

Nonprofits expecting $20 billion in federal climate funding remain unable to access their accounts after the Trump administration launched investigations, despite a prosecutor’s determination that there was no evidence of wrongdoing.

Lisa Friedman, Claire Brown, and Charlie Savage report for The New York Times.

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From our Newsroom
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.

Agents of Change in Environmental Justice logo

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.

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