‘Bomb Trains,’ a New Book on the Deadly, Ongoing Threat of Oil by Rail

By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog

I lay out the whole damning history in this book. When the next oil train disaster strikes, we can't say we weren't warned.

Natural Gas Leaks are a Much Bigger Problem than we Thought

By Molly Enking, Grist

But when it comes to methane, “we actually have technological, practical solutions to these problems,” McKain said. The most viable solution, for now? Cities making infrastructure upgrades and replacing leaky pipes.

For the Achuar, Life Comes Before Oil

By Segundo Chuquipiondo (Shawi), Intercontinental Cry

Regardless of the ultimate outcome, the Achuar will continue to vociferously defend their territory though all nonviolent means at their disposal. The goal of these alliances is to defend Achuar territory and their lives as forest peoples.

We must Mobilise for the Climate Emergency like we Do in Wartime. Where is the Climate Minister?

By Ian Dunlop, David Spratt, The Guardian blog

Littleproud arguably has the most crucial and important role in cabinet. How to convince his colleagues of the real climate disasters which now confront this country, and particularly the agricultural sector, unless we rapidly move away from our fossil fuel past.

It’s Time to Stop Calling Natural Gas a ‘Bridge Fuel’ to a Safe Climate, Says New Report

By Justin Mikulka, DeSmog Blog

Natural gas, marketed for years as a “bridge fuel” to cleaner energy sources, cannot be part of any climate solution, according to a new report from Oil Change International.

Outraged, New Coalition Emerges Against Louisiana’s Expanding—and Polluting—Petrochemical Industry

By Julie Dermansky, DeSmog Blog

The 80-mile stretch along the river known as Louisiana’s “Petrochemical Corridor” is often referred to as “Cancer Alley.” Simmering frustrations among its communities, which are exposed to the industry’s pollution, recently led the new coalition of environmental and civil rights activists and Louisiana residents to rebrand it “Death Alley.”

Nitrogen Crisis: A Neglected Threat to Earth’s Life Support Systems

By Ian Angus, Climate and Capitalism

The rift in the nitrogen cycle is a major threat to the stability of the Earth System. This and subsequent articles will discuss how the natural cycle works and how it has been disrupted in the Anthropocene.

New Warnings on Plastic’s Health Risks as Fracking Industry Promotes New ‘Plastics Belt’ Build-Out

By Sharon Kelly, DeSmog Blog

A new report traces the life cycle of plastic from the moment an oil and gas well is drilled to the time plastic trash breaks down in the environment, finding “distinct risks to human health” at every stage.

Alberta’s Mega Oil and Gas Liability Crisis, Explained

By Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee

A Supreme Court of Canada ruling that bankrupt oil and gas companies must clean up their abandoned wells before paying creditors might sound like good news, but it doesn’t solve a growing crisis in Western Canada’s aging oil patch.

Tree Teachings: How Fossil Fuels and Climate Change Are Altering the Global Forest

By Andrew Nikiforuk, The Tyee

What the death of ancient trees are now telling us about climate change, concludes Beresford-Kroeger, is that we must “make a daisy chain of people willing to improve our lot.”

‘Mud and Confusion’: Oil and Gas Industry Goes On Defense as Studies Show Offshore Exploration Could Kill Zooplankton

By Graham Readfearn, DeSmog Blog

Seismic surveys involve an underwater air gun pulled behind a boat and fired at intervals, and as the shock waves bounce off the sea floor and return to sensors, they help reveal where oil and gas might be.

The Road Away from Fossil Fuels

By Simon Pirani, Red Pepper

President Andrzej Duda’s authoritarian government can expect a rough political ride in December, when politicians, diplomats and campaigners stream into Katowice, Poland, for the next UN summit on climate change.