Delger Erdenesanaa

EPA reapproves dicamba use, despite MAHA opposition and previous court bans New label instructions are meant to limit drift, but critics question their potential effectiveness

After a court-mandated ban that applied for the 2025 growing season, the US Environmental Protection Agency has reapproved over-the-top use of dicamba for genetically modified soybeans and cotton. cen.acs.org/policy/chemi...

#chemsky 🧪

Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work: Study North Atlantic long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) now have 60% lower concentrations of some legacy PFAS than they did a decade ago, offering rare good news about the effectiveness of chemic...

Lower levels of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’ in North Atlantic whales show regulations work -- by @lizkimbrough.bsky.social for @mongabay.com news.mongabay.com/2026/02/lowe...

Takeaways from the AP's reporting on PFAS contamination of private drinking water wells The Associated Press’ reporting on the vulnerabilities of private water well owners to contamination by harmful forever chemicals shows how some well owners are left stranded.

The Associated Press’ reporting on the vulnerabilities of private water well owners to contamination by harmful forever chemicals shows how some well owners are left stranded. Here are takeaways from the investigation.

Come for the interactive quiz on what counts as an ultraprocessed food, stay for the policy outlook on this weirdly bipartisan issue -- from US dietary guidelines to school lunches to state SNAP waivers to front-of-package labeling in other countries.

US air strikes are the latest blow to Venezuela’s decimated science infrastructure Venezuelan scientists are ‘waiting to see’ how damage to the country’s top basic science center will affect its research sector

Earlier this month, a research institute in Venezuela was damaged by US air strikes, marking the latest blow to a research sector already battered by funding and supply shortages.

Read more at @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/policy/US-ai...

See How Marine Heat Waves Are Spreading Across the Globe

For his #PulitzerStaffPicks 2025, Mark Schulte, Director of U.S. Education and Outreach, selected "See How Marine Heat Waves Are Spreading Across the Globe" by @edelger.bsky.social for The @nytimes.com.

👉 bit.ly/YIStories25

‘A huge rupture in everything’: US science faced major upheaval in 2025 Amid enormous shifts, many scientists pushed back and risked dismissal from their jobs even as federal agencies fired thousands of employees

For @cenmag.bsky.social, I tried to summarize what happened in science policy in 2025. Spoiler: A lot!

Thanks to Ian Banks, @jeremymberg.bsky.social, Arthur Daemmrich, @cdelawalla.bsky.social and @ucs.org Jen Jones for their insights.

Out soon: what to expect in 2026

cen.acs.org/policy/nih-n...

“'I’ve Seen Hell': Inside the Global Crisis of Seafarer Exploitation”

For her second #PulitzerStaffPicks selection, Ocean Editor Jessica Aldred chose @katiemcque.bsky.social’s story “'I’ve Seen Hell': Inside the Global Crisis of Seafarer Exploitation” published in @contextnewsroom.bsky.social.

👉 bit.ly/YIStories25

Showing humanity to endangered North Atlantic right whales pays off From the ocean to the classroom, from Atlantic Canada to the U.S. South, these people are finding ways to save a species before it vanishes

Entangled examined the threats to North Atlantic right whales & the policies to address them. Now, as the series closes, we return to the people working to change the outcome: www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/artic...

@pulitzercenter.org @theglobeandmail.com

The UN plastics treaty is at an impasse. Can it reset? Significant disputes remain about the scope of any treaty, but everyone agrees that negotiations can’t continue as they have been

The United Nations effort to negotiate a treaty on plastic pollution appears to be at a standstill. The parties’ approach needs to change if a treaty is to be reached. But how? cen.acs.org/environment/... #chemsky 🧪

CDC panel ends a long-standing recommendation for hepatitis B vaccines for newborns The change has no scientific basis, critics say

Advisory panel on vaccine policy in the US votes to scrap recommendation of #hepatitisB vaccination for newborns. One panel member called decision "unconscionable"
@maxhenrybarnhart.bsky.social for @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/pharmaceutic...

Boy, retraction is the thing these days. After years of critique, a foundational 25-year old paper on the safety of glyphosate herbicide has been pulled. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... 1/2

At MAHA Summit, the NIH head pushes for research that risks failure And 4 other takeaways for life scientists from the ‘off-the-record’ Make America Healthy Again conference

So, remember that MAHA summit 2 weeks ago that @statnews.com broke the news of and @maxkozlov.bsky.social somehow got into for Nature, even though it was closed to the press?

The organizers posted the entire 6.5-hour conference proceedings to YouTube last week.

cen.acs.org/policy/MAHA-...

As COP30 begins, countries face ‘hard truth’ of 1.5 °C global warming The average global surface temperature passed a key threshold last year. Meanwhile, the US does not have an official delegation at the UN climate conference now underway in Brazil

All against a backdrop of temperatures continuing to rise, soon to pass 1.5°C. cen.acs.org/policy/COP30...

At COP30, chemical companies push biobased climate solutions But environmentalists are raising concerns about the ecosystem, food security, and other impacts from the fossil fuel alternative

And, of course, there was everything happening on the sidelines, including greater attention to what might be the hardest-to-abate sector of all: chemicals. cen.acs.org/environment/...

As for countries' actual work, it's split. There's the official, consensus-based track making incremental progress on adaptation but not stopping emissions at their sources (fossil fuels, deforestation). And now there's an unofficial, more ambitious "coalition of the willing" led by Colombia.

COP30 final agreement omits fossil fuels Countries also left deforestation on the sidelines but agreed to more funding for climate adaptation efforts by low-income countries

Reflections on COP30 now that it's over. (Or is it??) First, idk if this was Lula's goal, but the physical chaos of the venue—fire, deluge, diesel fumes—sure seemed like a metaphor for climate change to me.
cen.acs.org/environment/...

But clearing or converting land to grow biofuels could have unintended consequences. The carbon accounting is controversial, with some saying biofuels could in fact increase GHG emissions. And Indigenous people's land rights, particularly in the Amazon, have been a huge topic of contention at COP30.

Biobased chemical companies took the stage at multiple panels. And biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels rose to the top of the conversation. Brazil, the host country, is a big player in the industry, with the COP30 presidency announcing a global initiative to quadruple alternative fuels by 2035.

At COP30, chemical companies push biobased climate solutions But environmentalists are raising concerns about the ecosystem, food security, and other impacts from the fossil fuel alternative

The chemical industry is a huge source of GHG emissions. Decarbonizing the industry will be hard, but as a UNFCCC technology expert said here, there's no way we can avoid it. COP30 reflected that, with what seemed to be more spotlight on chemicals than past summits. cen.acs.org/environment/...

Nov. 14 Policy Watch: US government reopens, is absent from COP 30 climate conference In other news, the EPA wants to trim PFAS reporting requirements and is pushing back compliance dates for parts of its TCE and methylene chloride rules

Nov. 14 Policy Watch: US government reopens, is absent from COP 30 climate conference

In other news, the EPA wants to trim PFAS reporting requirements and is pushing back compliance dates for parts of its TCE and methylene chloride rules. cen.acs.org/policy/Nov-1...

Tomorrow at #COP30 I'll be discussing what I learned from my recent @pulitzercenter.org reporting on marine heatwaves and their effects on wildlife and fisheries -- 1:30pm Brazil time at the Ocean Pavilion, alongside fishermen & women, scientists, and policymakers.

Rescheduled for this morning 8 am - if you are in the Blue Zone, come by the Ocean Pavilion and learn about the links between rainforest and ocean to start your day.

The best news from #COP30 so far is that a couple got engaged last night during dinner at a restaurant just outside the venue. It was packed with conference attendees and decidedly not the most romantic ambiance… but good for them!!

I’m in Belém covering #COP30. It’s a difficult geopolitical—and physical—context, as the planet begins to breach the 1.5C goal set 10 years ago and the US withdraws once again from the Paris Agreement. I’ll be continuing coverage throughout the conference, so please reach out if you’d like to talk.

Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa hits Jamaica as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record » Yale Climate Connections At landfall in western Jamaica, Melissa’s 185 mph winds and 892 mb pressure tied with the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys as the strongest on record for the Atlantic.

Not since 1935 has anyone experienced a storm like Melissa. Melissa's record wouldn't have happened without climate change, which made the hurricane's winds about 10 mph stronger, according to a rapid attribution analysis by Climate Central. yaleclimateconnections.org/2025/10/cata...

Black and white images showing micrographs of various species of coccospheres, calcifying plankton that play a role in the ocean carbon cycle.

A team of international scientists suggests that ignoring plankton could lead scientists to underestimate how the ocean will respond to climate change. Read more: cen.acs.org/environment/...

#CENChemPics #chemsky 🧪

Why scientists found lead in protein powders Consumers shouldn't panic

Yes, there's lead in protein powders. No, there's no known safe level. But, exposure to trace amounts is inevitable, especially since plants naturally take up lead from the environment. And, people disagree on standards for manufacturers. Latest @cenmag.bsky.social: cen.acs.org/food/food-in...

This reaction turns Teflon into toothpaste’s key ingredient Grinding PTFE with chunks of sodium metal creates sodium fluoride in a solvent-free reaction that aims to avoid landfills

It's been a big year for chemists trying to turn PTFE (better know as Teflon) into something that won't hang out in a landfill for 1,000 years. The latest development in this area uses chunks of sodium metal. My latest for @cenmag.bsky.social
cen.acs.org/materials/po...

Oct. 24 Policy Watch: Schools reject White House ‘compact’ In other news, EPA launches a new research office and NGOs sue the Trump administration over air pollution exemptions

Our first weekly briefing of chemistry policy news @cenmag.bsky.social. In food world, companies and trade groups formed a supergroup called Americans for Ingredient Transparency to lobby Congress to preempt state laws on food additives and other MAHA-inspired issues: cen.acs.org/policy/Oct-2...