There Is Something Called “Forever Chemicals” Coursing Through the US Food Supply
Awakening/Getty These chemicals take millennia to break down, have negative health consequences, and Tuesday the FDA revealed they exist throughout the US food supply. Concerns about per- and polyfluoroalykyl substances (PFAS), have typically been associated more with water than food. But when the FDA decided to look at the food supply, they found considerable levels…
Remember the BP Oil Spill? These Cleanup Workers Are Still Suffering After 9 Years.
Oil from the BP oil spill is seen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.Julie Dermansky/Corbis/Getty This story was originally published by the Undark and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Nine years ago, I traveled down to the bustling Louisiana bayou fishing town of Venice, where the road south along the Mississippi River…
How US Government Funds Meant to Stop Poaching May Have Ended up Funding Torture
This story was originally published by HuffPost and is shared here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The House Natural Resources Committee has launched a bipartisan investigation into whether federal conservation grants support organizations linked to alleged human rights abuses overseas. The probe follows a BuzzFeed News investigation in March that found the World Wide Fund for Nature,…
Microplastic Is Ruining the Beauty of Monterey Bay
Eva Hambach/AFP/Getty This story was originally published by Wired and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. California’s Monterey Bay is one of the more pure, more dynamic coastal ecosystems on Earth. Otters—once hunted nearly to extinction—float among towering kelp forests, which themselves have rebounded thanks to the booming otter population’s appetite for kelp-loving sea urchins.…
Dream Big, Reach for the Stars, and Don’t You Dare Mention Climate Change
Marty Caivano/Digital First Media/Boulder Daily Camera/Getty This story was originally published by the Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Schools and colleges across the US have been accused of censoring students who have attempted to use their graduation speeches to speak out on the unfolding climate crisis. A youth-led movement called Class of 0000 is…
Jay Inslee Says He May Defy the DNC on a Climate Change Debate
Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Washington Governor Jay Inslee says he won’t rule out participating in a primary debate on climate change, a move that—if he followed through—could risk his being barred from participating in the formal Democratic National Committee sponsored debates. “I cannot rule out any other debate that would highlight both the necessity of defeating the climate crisis…