Why Was The White House Involved in North Dakota Oil-by-Rail Regulations?
A seemingly innocuous email about two people getting coffee in August of 2014 helps shed light on the behind-the-scenes lobbying efforts to shape the oil-by-rail regulations that have given the oil industry a pass on the explosive nature of Bakken crude oil. The emails, acquired by DeSmogBlog via a Freedom of Information Act request, led us to discover a […]
Brother of Hillary Clinton's Top Campaign Aide Lobbied for Fracked Gas Export Terminal Co-Owned by Qatar
Anthony “Tony” Podesta began lobbying in late 2013 on behalf of a company co-owned by ExxonMobil and Qatar Petroleum aiming to export liquefied natural gas (LNG) to the global market. Tony is the brother of John Podesta, former top climate change adviser to President Barack Obama and current top campaign aide for Hillary Clinton’s 2016 bid for president. […]
How an ExxonMobil Seminar Convinced a Young Geologist to Fight for Action on Climate Change
This DeSmog UK epic history post introduces you to a young geologist who joined the fight against climate deniers in an effort to support the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) findings. Bob Ward, policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics, hates […]
New Report Warns of West Coast Tar Sands Oil Invasion
The West Coast of the United States and Canada is facing an imminent tar sands oil invasion, according to a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “The West Coast is about to fall victim to a tar sands invasion, unless our leaders choose to protect the health and safety of our communities […]
Voters More Likely To Accept Climate Change Warnings When The Room is Warm – Behaviour Scientist
The way people vote can depend on much more than just the issues being debated scientists have found. Several studies have shown that subtle psychological cues can be just as effective at influencing voter decisions as what political parties promise in speeches and manifestos. Nick Chater, professor of behaviour science at Warwick Business School, recently revealed on […]
Inoculating Against Climate Science Denial
This is a guest post by John Cook, The University of Queensland. Science denial has real, societal consequences. Denial of the link between HIV and AIDS led to more than 330,000 premature deaths in South Africa. Denial of the link between smoking and cancer has caused millions of premature deaths. Thanks to vaccination denial, preventable […]
Biggest Fracking Company in Utah Hires BP Executive Involved in Gulf Oil Disaster as CEO
Fidelity Exploration and Production Company, the largest hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) operator in southeastern Utah, has chosen Patrick O’Bryan to replace its outgoing CEO, Kent Wells. Both executives have ties to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon explosion and subsequent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, and both have links to BP‘s questionable accountability structure, poor safety record and […]
More Than 10,000 Enroll In Free University Course To Debunk Climate Science Denial
More than 10,000 people from 150 countries have signed up for a free online university course that aims to explain the science of climate science denial and give the public the best tools to fight misinformation. The course, from the University of Queensland in Australia, has recruited some of the world’s leading climate scientists, along with […]
When The White House Met Nasa Scientist James Hansen and Denier Richard Lindzen – Who Did They Listen To?
The DeSmog UK epic history series continues with an account of how a NASA climate scientist was squeezed out of the White House environmental debate. Just a week after the announcement came from George W. Bush that the US would renege on Kyoto, the then media-shy NASA climate scientist Jim Hansen (pictured) was invited to speak […]
Elmwood, Louisiana Derailment Stokes Fears About Oil Train Blast Zone
Nearly a dozen Union Pacific railway cars were blown off an elevated trestle in Elmwood, Louisiana, on Monday during a strong wind storm. No injuries were reported in the incident near the Huey P. Long Bridge. The cars did not contain any hazardous materials, although such materials are transported on the route. Michael Miller, who works at the […]