On May 6, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) inspector general issued a report rebuking the agency for failing to protect fenceline communities in 19 metropolitan areas from chloroprene and ethylene oxide, toxic chemicals used in industrial processes. The report directs the agency to review its rules, as required by the Clean Air Act, for both of these carcinogenic air pollutants, which […]

The post Inspector General Directs EPA to Update Its Rules for Two Toxic Air Pollutants appeared first on DeSmog.

Campaigners are launching a High Court battle against the UK government’s “unlawful and irrational” support of oil and gas drilling in the North Sea. A medical student, the daughter of an oil worker and a former Esso employee are challenging the oil industry regulator’s strategy that aims to maximise economic recovery of oil and gas […]

The post Climate Campaigners Launch High Court Challenge Over North Sea Oil and Gas Drilling appeared first on DeSmog.

Coal-fired power plants set to be built by companies part-owned by British multinational bank HSBC will contribute to tens of thousands of deaths worldwide due to air pollution once completed, new research suggests. A new study by researchers at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) estimates that the planned coal plants […]

The post New HSBC-backed Coal Plants Will Contribute to 18,400 Deaths Annually, New Study Estimates appeared first on DeSmog.

Facebook is “fuelling climate misinformation” through its failure to get to grips with misleading content, according to a new report that calls on companies to boycott the platform until significant action is taken. Campaign group Stop Funding Heat, which produced the report, warns that the problem is likely to escalate in the coming months as […]

The post ‘Overwhelming’ Evidence Facebook is Failing to Tackle Climate Misinformation appeared first on DeSmog.

Enjoying his life to the fullest#dogs #dogsoftwitter #DogsofTwittter pic.twitter.com/HOq8cWKGyl— dog lover (@10_Ilovedogs) April 21, 2021 There are 2 types of dogs.. 😅 pic.twitter.com/RtyNme0rHe— Buitengebieden (@buitengebieden_) May 10, 2021 If you’…

By Jessica Corbett, Common Dreams. Originally published on Common Dreams, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. From fake oil spills in Washington, D.C. and New York City to a “people mural” in Seattle spelling out “Defund Line 3,” climate and Indigenous protesters in 50 U.S. cities and across seven other countries spanning four continents took to the streets […]

The post Climate and Indigenous Protesters Across 4 Continents Pressure Banks to #DefundLine3 appeared first on DeSmog.

It’s awards season, and DeSmog is getting in on the act. We are delighted to announce that we won Best Specialist News Site at this year’s The Drum Online Media Awards! The prize is recognition for all of the DeSmog team’s hard work over the past 12 months, bringing you groundbreaking investigations on the crossover […]

The post DeSmog Wins Best Specialist News Site appeared first on DeSmog.

The UK government has defended its decision to celebrate representatives of companies involved in Canada’s controversial tar sands industry as “Climate Champions”, ahead of the COP26 UN climate summit it is set to host later this year. A UK-Canada event last week praised 26 “exceptional individuals actively working to move Canada to net-zero emissions”, five […]

The post Government Defends Praising Tar Sands Industry Figures as COP26 ‘Climate Champions’ appeared first on DeSmog.

Kai Kupferschmidt and Gretchen Vogel, in Science, explore the future of vaccines with rare risks of blood clots.Andrew Althouse, in Medscape, on vaccines and the failure of NNTs.John Michael McGrath, in TVO, makes the case for paying people to get vac…

A new investigation into federal oversight of the offshore oil and gas industry finds that the agency in charge is not enforcing existing regulations on environmental protection and cleanup in 97 percent of cases. The report puts attention on the growing issue of the oil and gas industry abandoning defunct pipelines and other drilling infrastructure […]

The post New Government Report Highlights Federal Failures to Oversee Offshore Drilling appeared first on DeSmog.

If you live in Oregon, it’s likely you’ve been bombarded with misleading PR from the local utility company, Northwest Natural, about the potential for what the industry is calling renewable natural gas (RNG) — methane captured from places like landfills and repurposed into energy for homes. In recent months, the Pacific Northwest utility rolled out […]

The post Oregon Utility Using Greenwashing and ‘Renewable Natural Gas’ To Push Back on Potential Gas Bans appeared first on DeSmog.

Five environmental groups have filed a lawsuit in a Montana federal court alleging that the way that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issues permits for oil and gas pipelines nationwide violates some of the country’s cornerstone environmental laws. This new lawsuit, filed May 3, is the most recent round in a nearly decade-long battle, […]

The post New Lawsuit Challenges ‘Fast-Track’ Permits Used for Oil and Gas Pipelines Nationwide appeared first on DeSmog.

James Hamblin, in the Atlantic, on the promise of a single coronavirus vaccine which would protect us against SARS, MERS, COVID-19, and every other coronavirus-related disease, forever and ever.
David Robert Grimes, in Scientific American, on how COVI…

I’m back – turned out my keyboard had somehow disconnected itself from my laptop operating system and they needed to find each other again. Sorta like this: The great escapeNothing can keep this cat away from his best friend 😻 pic.twitter.com/6W3PP7L0…

Helen Branswell, in STAT, with the questions experts still have about COVID.
Justin Ling, in Macleans, with the almost unbelievable story of Ontario’s science table and its recommendations versus what our government is doing. 
Julia Belluz, in Vo…

Sorry my laptop is being looked at-all of a sudden the keyboard wouldn’t work. Not sure how long I will be without it. So – later, dude!

Lauren Dobson-Hughes, in The Line, reflecting on Canada’s responses to COVID wonders if we are actually a country?Zeynep, in Insight, on the gaslighting of science.And in non-COVID writing, here’s my latest in Medscape How Dare There Be Effective Drug…

Stephen Maher, in Macleans, with the comprehensive story of Canada’s first year with the pandemic.
Emily Anthes, in The New York Times, on the end of overzealous cleaning.
Gregg Gonsalves, in The Nation, on what comes after the end of this stage of th…

Dangerous numpty. If you see, ignore.
Peter Hotez, in Scientific American, on the anti-science movement and the danger it poses to global public health. 
Derek Thomspon, in The Atlantic, explains why you should unfollow, unfriend, or at the very l…

After breaking his ankle — Russell Jones noticed that his dog Billy was limping too. After an exam, X-rays, and a $400 vet bill Billy presented no injuries. He was just sympathetically limping like his hooman…pic.twitter.com/8mvmNpwMNR— Rex Cha…

everyone’s anti-godzilla until there’s a 200,000 ton boat that can’t be moved— Emma Berquist (@eeberquist) March 27, 2021 So now the world is following the tale of the boat stuck in the Suez Canal, there’s even a website Is The Ship Still Stuck?And al…

Saskia Popescu and Alexandra Phelan, in The New York Times, discuss the unwieldy realities that vaccine passports might face. Leslie Boehm and Gregory P. Marchildon, in Policy Options covers the past realities and future needs of Canadian vaccine…

Javed Anees, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Reid Wilson, in The Hill, on the world leading way in which Africa approached COVID treatment and prevention supplies. 
David Spiegelhalter, in the Guardian, on why you need not be terribly worried about rec…

When you don’t have time for this crap. pic.twitter.com/JzfWuh8dEz

— 𝖠𝖺𝗋𝗈𝗇 𝖶𝗂𝖾𝗇𝖾𝗋 (@Wieneraaron) March 13, 2021

Never has there been a better introductory paragraph to a textbook, nor will there ever be. #higherEd https://t.co/e8TAuwJLGa pic.twitter.com/zp2HRmSszR

— Dr. Alec Couros (@courosa) March 7, 2021

Prince George and Princess Charlotte after the monarchy is abolished. pic.twitter.com/W8s984Ensq

— Rohita Kadambi 🍾 (@rohitak) March 8, 2021

And one more – its hilarious:

I’m never letting this video die pic.twitter.com/QAOXjNLAqk

— Best Videos 🎬🍿 (@30SECVlDEOS) February 7, 2021

Akiko Iwasaki, in Medium, on how vaccination might help COVID longhaulers.
Jennifer Murphy, in The New York Times, reflects on her experiences as a NYC EMT during the worst of their pandemic.
Jane Philpott and David Walker, in The Ottawa Citizen, disc…

Sarah Zhang, in The Atlantic, on the forgotten power of windows in a pandemic.
Luisa Beck, in The Washington Post, on the 1,200 new German words coined for the pandemic.
Aisha Lofter, in TVO, on the need for an anti-racist response to COVID.
 &#1…

On March 5, 1963, 30-year-old singer Patsy Cline was killed in a plane crash – one of the first musical losses I can remember, though far from the last. Here is a pretty good documentary about Patsy Cline and her music:

And this happened here, in Saskatoon: Meanwhile in Canada:A 10-year old boy wanted to do something nice for the dogs in his neighborhood.So he built them a stick library.He now has two locations and is already expanding to more.🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/fzC4p…

Meanwhile in Canada, please remember social distancing is still in effect. 😶 pic.twitter.com/y5RgTrN8AB— Terry Small (@terrysmall) February 25, 2021

Angela L. Rasmussen, in the New York Times, explains how yes, the vaccines will work to stop the spread.
Julia Belluz, in Vox, interviews the inimitable Hilda Bastian, the scientist who has been right on COVID vaccines every step of the way. 

Ca…

Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz, in The Guardian, discusses which vaccine you should get.James Hamblin, in The Atlantic, on what summer might look like (in the US mind you, here in Canada, given our exceedingly slow pace of vaccination, this might not apply)

…

Sort of a lousy day, really — stupid cold, and Trump is found GUILTY but he skates away without any penalties so far. Well, anyway, here’s some funny tweets just to lighten the mood for Valentine’s Day:

Just fit in to some of my old clothes from 20 years ago. Feeling pretty proud.
It’s a scarf by the way but its a start.

— mariana Z (@mariana057) January 29, 2021

Just gonna leave this here… pic.twitter.com/VZ8wXkOOVS

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 10, 2021

😂😂
pic.twitter.com/sESspGCxxs

— Mystery Solvent (@MysterySolvent) February 11, 2021

Cats, y’all…pic.twitter.com/cmIhWmeGmJ

— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) February 10, 2021

Well well, how the turntables…

📹: Imgur user Chingelmarie pic.twitter.com/kHWvi0OkxO

— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) February 11, 2021

Life goals: Find someone who loves you even half as much as this dog loves opera. 🔊 🆙

📹: Imgur user MonStar1203 pic.twitter.com/neVHObBNzc

— Paul Bronks (@SlenderSherbet) February 1, 2021

Cute.🐯🐾⛄️ pic.twitter.com/XAl5hQ1EAJ

— Andrei (@AndreiAndrei63) January 24, 2021

Michaeleen Doucleff, in NPR, explains how a small town in Brazil has tragically shown us that without vaccines, herd immunity is impossible.Derek Thompson, in The Atlantic, on the waste of resources and the disinformation that is hygiene theatreBrooks…

Damien Cave, in The New York Times, on how Australia is maintaining near normalcy of life in the time of COVID19
James Hamblin, in the Atlantic, on the Brazilian variant that’s currently rampaging through a city that had been thought to be immune due …

Angela Rasmussen, in Slate, on how we can’t rely on vaccines alone to end this pandemic (this is especially true right now in Canada where our vaccination program is barely off the ground)
Alice Lu-Culligan and Akiko Iwasaki, in the New York Times, on…

What a relief it is to just have normal politics-as-usual going on everywhere these days – blaming Trudeau for stuff that isn’t his fault, blaming O’Toole for stuff that IS his fault, watching Biden taking over the US government, its all good these day…

Scott Gavura, in Science Based Medicine, on the anti-vaxx campaign to erode confidence in COVID vaccines.Julia Belluz and Umair Irfan, in Vox, on the new South African COVID variant that may challenge current vaccines.André Picard and Adalsteinn Brown…

Cartoon for @chronicleherald #trump #BidenHarrisInauguration #BidenHarris #TrumpTreason pic.twitter.com/t5Wm5V3OSX

— Michael de Adder (@deAdder) January 19, 2021

And so after four years as a failed president, tomorrow Donald Trump will return to his previous career as a failed businessman.

— Victor Laszlo (@Impolitics) January 19, 2021

It feels a bit like Christmas Eve, but you already know what you’ll get when you open the present. A restoration of American democracy, decency, and hope.

— Dan Rather (@DanRather) January 19, 2021

I’m like a little kid on Democracy Eve

— Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) January 19, 2021

would he settle for me launching water balloons filled with cat piss at him as he’s wheeled out of town in a garbage can https://t.co/QtqNmum4ri

— kilgore trout, brad r’s brother (@KT_So_It_Goes) January 15, 2021

If you’re not already following Dr. Popescu, you should be.
Stephen Reicher and John Drury, in the BMJ, on how adherence to COVID recommendations is reliant more on resources and less on motivation or energy.Gideon M-K, in Medium, with the plain truth …