Message From the Editor

In July 2019, an environmental lawyer in South Carolina discovered an extraordinary number of tiny white bits, so dense and widespread on the beach and in the surf along Sullivan’s Island that he later compared them to sleet. The bits were newly manufactured pieces of plastic resin, known as nurdles, which pose hazards to wildlife and contaminate the environment as they break down into microplastics. This month, the shipping company responsible settled a lawsuit over the nurdle spill for $1 million. Sharon Kelly has the story.
Meanwhile, a new study by the University of California, Los Angeles reveals that more than half a million U.S. residents live within close proximity of oil and gas flaring events, exposing them to potentially significant health risks. Those impacts are disproportionately felt by communities of color in North Dakota, Texas, and New Mexico. “There is growing evidence linking residence near unconventional oil and gas operations with negative health impacts for nearby residents, including impacts on fetal growth and preterm birth,” said one of the study’s authors. Read more from Nick Cunningham.

And the Biden administration’s cancelation of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline in January appears to be driving a revolutionary improvement in Canadian oil-by-rail safety that could protect the public from what have become known as “bomb trains.” Without the KXL pipeline to help transport tar sands bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the United States, Canadian oil producers are turning to trains. And using a new technology to help make it more affordable — and less flammable. Check out Justin Mikulka’s analysis.

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected].

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you make it possible for DeSmog to hold accountable powerful people in industry and government. Even a $10 or $20 donation helps support DeSmog’s investigative journalism.

$1 Million Nurdle Spill Settlement Shines Light on Plastic Pollution During Shipping

— By Sharon Kelly (8 min. read) —

You won’t find an ethane cracker or industrial plastics manufacturing equipment on tiny Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina. The tiny 2.5 mile-long barrier island along the Atlantic coast near Charleston claimed a spot in history for its role in the Revolutionary War, though it’s perhaps better known among vacationers and tourists in recent years for its sandy beachfronts and blue waters.

But, in July 2019, Charleston environmental lawyer Andrew Wunderley arrived on the beach after getting a tip from a dog walker who’d noticed something strange in the sands along Sullivan’s Island. Wunderley arrived to discover an extraordinary number of tiny white bits, so dense and widespread on the beach and in the surf that he later compared them to sleet. The bits were newly manufactured pieces of plastic resin, known as nurdles, which pose hazards to wildlife and contaminate the environment as they breakdown into microplastics.

More Than Half a Million People Exposed to Flaring, Increased Health Risks, Says UCLA Study

— By Nick Cunningham (5 min. read) —

A new study by the University of California, Los Angeles reveals that more than half a million U.S. residents live within close proximity of oil and gas flaring events, exposing them to potentially significant health risks. Those impacts are disproportionately felt by communities of color in North Dakota, Texas, and New Mexico.

“There is growing evidence linking residence near unconventional oil and gas operations with negative health impacts for nearby residents, including impacts on fetal growth and preterm birth,” said one of the study’s authors, Lara Cushing, an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health.

Analysis: Canceled Keystone XL Pipeline Driving Major Safety Changes in Canadian Oil-by-Rail

— By Justin Mikulka (10 min. read) —

The Biden administration’s cancelation of the Keystone XL (KXL) pipeline in January appears to be driving a revolutionary improvement in Canadian oil-by-rail safety that could protect the public from what have become known as “bomb trains.”

Without the KXL pipeline to help transport tar sands bitumen from Alberta to refineries in the United States, Canadian oil producers are turning to trains. And using a new technology to help make it more affordable — and less flammable.

I’m a Climate Scientist — Here Are 3 Key Things I Have Learned Over a Year of COVID

— By Piers Forster, University of Leeds (5 min. read) —

The planet had already warmed by around 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times when the World Health Organization officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020. This began a sudden and unprecedented drop in human activity, as much of the world went into lockdown and factories stopped operating, cars kept their engines off and planes were grounded.

There have been many monumental changes since then, but for those of us who work as climate scientists this period has also brought some entirely new and sometimes unexpected insights.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: Energy In Depth

Energy In Depth is a program launched as a joint effort of the Independent Petroleum Association of America (IPAA) and the “independent global business advisory firm” FTI Consulting to promote and defend unconventional gas development (fracking). DeSmog obtained a leaked memo in 2011 that revealed Energy In Depth “would not be possible without the early financial commitments” of major oil and gas interests including BP, Halliburton, Chevron, Shell, XTO Energy (now owned by ExxonMobil), and several other large oil and gas companies. As the program argued in 2019: “the fracking revolution has been a clear winner for the economy, our national security, and the climate.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database and Koch Network Database.