Looking Back at 2013: Photos of Climate Chaos, Natural Disasters, Heartache and Hope

onDec 31, 2013 @ 12:48 PST

Today, we wrap up 2013 with a slideshow of photographs taken this past year by DeSmog contributor Julie Dermansky. We’re grateful to have Julie on our team, and as you can see from her photographs, she witnessed some awe-inspiring and awful scenes in 2013.

A self-described Accidental Chronicler of Climate Change, Julie lives in New Orleans and has traveled the globe reporting on some of the most important stories of our times through her photojournalism and writing — Hurricanes Katrina and Ivan, Superstorm Sandy, earthquake-ravaged Haiti, the BP Gulf oil disaster, war-torn Iraq, genocide in Rwanda and lots more.

She joined DeSmogBlog in August, and quickly became an invaluable member of our team with her in-depth multimedia coverage of the Louisiana sinkhole, the battle over the southern half of Keystone XL, the fracking bonanza in Texas, the ongoing fallout of the BP disaster in the Gulf of Mexico and more.

Sit back and take a journey through Julie’s lens as we remember some of the biggest disasters and climate stories of 2013.

By Brendan DeMelle

Brendan is Executive Director of DeSmog. He is also a writer focused on disinformation and corporate accountability.

Northern Ireland Turned Into 'Sacrifice Zone’ to Feed UK’s Appetite for Meat, New Report Finds

ByShauna Corr

onJul 8, 2026 @ 22:00 PDT

Nearly two thirds of country’s pig and poultry farms leach polluting manure into lough that supplies half the region's drinking water, according to latest research.

Series: Pigs, Poultry, and Pollution: Investigating Intensive Agriculture

Series: Investigating Intensive Livestock Pollution

us/Colorado Cut $11.4 Million in Penalties for Oil Firms Submitting Fake Cleanup Data

BySarah Hofmann

onJul 7, 2026 @ 11:29 PDT

Residents, activists, and a state commissioner critiqued the deals, approved under the top oil regulator, who is stepping down following a DeSmog investigation.