Message From the Editor

The health and safety of key workers is at the forefront of our minds right now, including how they often put themselves in harm’s way and what can happen when it goes wrong. Justin Nobel's investigation of a former Shell oilfield contractor uncovers the legal, corporate, and regulatory failings that mean the threat of radiation exposure remains one of the oil and gas industry's best kept secrets. Read his full report.

Michael Moore’s latest film Planet of the Humans has been widely criticized by energy and climate experts, who say it fails to provide context on the benefits of renewable energy and the negative impacts of fossil fuels, and is based on out-of-date information. But guess who’s promoting it as validation of fossil fuels: climate denial groups backed by the fossil fuel industry.

Did you know that almost half of Americans are living in places with unhealthy air? That’s the conclusion of the latest report from the American Lung Association, which also lays out the public health implications of the Trump administration’s environmental rollback.
Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: editor@desmogblog.com.

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Have you seen our COVIDeniers report on the climate deniers now promoting misinformation on the pandemic?

The Syrian Job: Uncovering the Oil Industry's Radioactive Secret

— By Justin Nobel (27 min. read) —

Cancerous lesions have developed across Keith MacDonald’s body and his son is dead from leukemia. His life has disintegrated, and in his eyes fault lies with the third richest company on earth. It is headquartered in the Netherlands, incorporated in the United Kingdom, and is an entity (thanks to the Parliamentary Pension Fund) that every single British MP has a stake in — Royal Dutch Shell.

The story of how MacDonald got here is a tale of adventure and tragedy fit for a Hollywood thriller, only it is real. Even with many unknowns, MacDonald’s case unearths a shocking part of the world’s most powerful industry that somehow has remained hidden for generations.

Fossil Fuel-Backed Climate Deniers Rush to Promote Michael Moore Documentary 'Planet of The Humans'

— By Richard Collett-White and Zak Derler (10 min. read) —

Climate science deniers and long-time opponents of renewable energy, many with ties to oil and gas companies, have seized on Michael Moore’s latest documentary to argue the case for continued fossil fuel dependence.

Planet of the Humans investigates the environmental footprint of renewable technologies such as wind, solar and biomass, and argues that the green movement has sold out to corporate interests. The documentary has been viewed over five million times on YouTube since its release last week to coincide with the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.

Report: Nearly Half of Americans Breathing Unhealthy Air

— By Dana Drugmand (6 min. read) —

As the death toll from COVID-19 continues to rise in the U.S. — and as initial studies suggest that long-term exposure to air pollution may lead to higher death rates from the disease — a new report finds that nearly five in 10 Americans are breathing polluted air.

According to the American Lung Association’s (ALA) latest State of Air Report released April 21, 150 million Americans — almost half the population — are living in areas with unhealthy air. The findings challenge clean air claims by the Trump administration and fossil fuel allies. The report also describes how the current administration’s environmental rollbacks threaten the nation’s air quality and public health.

‘Energy Policy Advocates’ and the Fossil Fuel Boosters Attacking Legal Efforts to Hold Climate Polluters Accountable

— By Dana Drugmand (11 min. read) —

While fossil fuel companies defend against mounting climate liability lawsuits in court, their surrogates are working in parallel to target the attorneys, academics, and institutions supporting these lawsuits. This defensive strategy involves vigorous public records requests, and in some cases legal action or intervention, to try proving a supposed conspiracy by those working to hold polluters accountable.

ExxonMobil has itself argued that attorneys general and municipal officials that have sued the company are engaged in a conspiracy to take down Big Oil. That argument hasn’t gained traction in court, but this hasn’t stopped operatives tied to fossil fuel funding from trying to take up that charge.

New Satellite Data Reveals Dangerous Methane Emissions in Permian Region

— By Justin Mikulka (6 min. read) —

New research based on satellite data confirms that the oil and gas industry in the Permian region of Texas and New Mexico is leaking record amounts of methane. The new research published in the journal Science Advances found that methane emissions in the Permian Basin were equivalent to 3.7 percent of the total methane produced by the oil and gas industry there.

In December DeSmog reported on the work of Robert Howarth, a biogeochemist at Cornell University, who has been studying the methane emissions of the oil and gas industry. Howarth’s latest research estimated that 3.4 percent of all natural gas produced from shale in the U.S. is leaked throughout the production cycle, which appears to be confirmed by this new research.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: John O’Sullivan

John O’Sullivan is a UK-based climate denialist blogger, writer, and the sole active director of Principia Scientific International (PSI), a membership group promoting fringe views on climate change science and the role of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. O’Sullivan and PSI have promoted conspiracy theories about COVID-19 and pushed for unverified “cures” or treatments for the novel coronavirus before they have been officially approved.

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