Joseph Winters

We have a real problem with people in important positions spouting absolute nonsense. Human-caused climate change threatens the continued orderly development of human civilization. That’s the truth.

This fuel is 50% plastic — and it’s slipping through a loophole in international waste law Environmental groups are concerned that rich countries are exporting plastic to poor countries in the form of “refuse-derived fuel.”

Rich countries are exporting plastic to poor countries in the form of “refuse-derived fuel." @jbwinters.bsky.social reports in @grist.org:

Yuyun Ismawati shared, “If we are going to deal with plastic waste through RDF, then … everybody must be willing to learn more about what’s in it.”

The oceans may contain much, much more plastic than previously thought A new study finds there are 27 million metric tons of invisible plastic particles in the North Atlantic alone.

A new study in Nature estimates there are 27 million metric tons of nanoplastic in the North Atlantic Ocean alone, and that these invisible plastic particles make up a greater fraction of marine plastic pollution than micro or macroplastics. @grist.org grist.org/science/ocea...

‘A self-inflicted tragedy’: Congress approves reversal of US climate policy Once Trump signs the megabill, the country will no longer have a federal plan to address the climate crisis.

Green groups have described Trump's domestic policy megabill as “historically ruinous” and “a self-inflicted tragedy for our country.” Trump is expected to sign it into law tomorrow evening. @grist.org grist.org/politics/a-s...

The Supreme Court just ended its term. Here are the decisions that will affect climate policy. Experts say the most impactful decisions have enabled the Trump administration to gut the federal workforce and freeze funding.

The executive branch and the Supreme Court “are exhibiting extraordinary hostility to actions on climate change at a time when the planet is burning. ... It’s a pretty depressing story overall.” @grist.org grist.org/justice/supr...

The Trump administration claims roads in forests prevent wildfires. Researchers disagree. Experts say repealing the "Roadless Rule" won't help stop fires, but it will help loggers.

The Trump administration is rescinding the Roadless Rule — a 2001 policy limiting the construction of roads in national forests — “to reduce wildfire risk.” Experts say that’s a pretense to increase timber extraction. @grist.org grist.org/wildfires/wi...

Science says plastic bag bans really do work A new study finds that outlawing or taxing plastic bags reduces beach litter.

New research in the journal Science shows that when you outlaw or discourage the sale of plastic bags, fewer of them end up as litter on beaches. @grist.org grist.org/science/plas...

See The Wilderness Society's map for all of the forests, recreation sites, wilderness study areas, and other lands included in the proposal: wilderness.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...

Your favorite campgrounds, hiking trails, and forests could soon be up for auction Republicans want to make 250 million acres of public lands eligible for sale to housing developers.

Republicans want to make 250 million acres of public lands eligible for sale to housing developers — including lots of national forests that, if you live in the West, you probably know and love. @grist.org grist.org/politics/pub...

As EU enacts new greenwash rules, funds remove climate labels By removing words like "ESG" and "sustainable" from their names, funds can keep investing in fossil fuels despite the EU greenwash rules

The EU just told finance companies they can't call their funds "sustainable" if they're invested in fossil fuels.

So companies got rid of fossil fuels from some funds. But for others, they just dropped words like "sustainable" from the name.

www.climatechangenews.com/2025/06/03/a...

How little we’ve seen: A visual coverage estimate of the deep seafloor In decades of deep-sea exploration, humans have observed only 0.001% of the deep seafloor, leaving 66% of planet Earth unseen.

66% of the entire planet is deep ocean (≥200 m), but new research shows humans have visually observed less than 0.001%, a total area approximately one-tenth of the size of Belgium. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

This Portland collective keeps the city clean — and helps unhoused people find stability “There’s this stigma that if you’re homeless, then you’re useless. But collecting bottles and cans — it is work.”

I really enjoyed speaking with Portland's waste pickers for this story, co-published with @streetroots.bsky.social. “There’s this stigma that if you’re homeless, then you’re useless. But collecting bottles and cans — it is work." @grist.org grist.org/equity/portl...

Plastics companies know about chemical recycling’s shortcomings — but still sell it as a solution A new report casts doubt on industry narratives about the “revolutionary” technology.

“They’re claiming it’s a solution and it’s not, and they know it." Great piece exposing the truth about chemical recycling, based on the new @climateintegrity.org report, from @grist.org @josephwintervhs.bsky.social @davisallen.bsky.social #plasticpollution #advancedrecycling

The misleading accounting behind your ‘recycled’ plastic A convoluted credit system allows companies to label virgin plastic as recycled. Here's how it works.

Companies are using a complicated accounting system to call virgin plastic "recycled." Here's my attempt to explain how (including a very cool visualization!) @grist.org grist.org/accountabili...

This commonly used plastic chemical caused 350,000 heart disease-related deaths in 1 year People in Asia are exposed to levels up to six times higher than their counterparts in the West.

Exposure to DEHP from plastics use caused 13% of global deaths from heart disease among adults aged 55 to 64, according to research published last week in The Lancet eBioMedicine. @grist.org grist.org/health/plast...

The Trump administration just dismissed all 400 experts working on America’s official climate report It’s not clear who will now write the Congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment — or whether it will be written at all.

The Trump administration dismissed all 400 experts who had been working on the U.S.'s premier report on climate change. It's unclear who will now write the Congressionally mandated National Climate Assessment, or whether it will be written at all. @grist.org grist.org/science/trum...

Why the shipping industry’s new carbon tax is a big deal — and still not enough Modeling suggests it will only reduce emissions up to 10 percent by 2030.

The IMO's new fee for shipping emissions is both "historic" and insufficient. Modeling suggests it isn't enough to achieve the IMO's own target of 20-30% emissions reduction by 2030. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/internationa...

How Trump’s war on climate and equity is impacting ‘woke investing’ Shifting political and regulatory winds have led to fewer shareholder resolutions on environmental and social issues.

ESG-related shareholder resolutions are down 34% this year as the Trump administration galvanizes the movement against “woke investing,” according to an annual report from @asyousow.bsky.social and Proxy Impact. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/business/tru...

The world's biggest youth climate lawsuit lost in court, but it ‘changed the world’ The landmark Juliana v. United States sparked a global movement to defend children's rights to a healthy climate, a campaign that's already scored two wins.

Juliana v. U.S. argued that the government's support for fossil fuels violated 21 youth plaintiffs' constitutional rights. It may have lost in court, but its legacy lives on in similar lawsuits and in the youth climate movement it helped to spark. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/justice/juli...

A court ordered Greenpeace to pay a pipeline company $660M. What happens next? Experts called the verdict “beyond punitive.” The organization plans to appeal and has already filed a countersuit in Europe.

Here's my story w/ @sachimulkey.bsky.social on Greenpeace's next steps after it lost in a North Dakota court. The organization plans to appeal and has already filed a countersuit in Europe. "You can’t bankrupt the movement," one of its attorneys said. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/indigenous/a...

Gavin Newsom delayed his own ‘nation-leading’ plastic policy. Why? Industry groups expressed concerns about California’s landmark plastic pollution law in the weeks before regulators were supposed to begin enforcing it.

Gavin Newsom's office delayed implementation of California's nation-leading plastic reduction policy, offering only vague concerns about fairness and the need to "minimiz[e] costs for small businesses and working families." @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/regulation/n...

Supreme Court declines to hear Republicans’ ‘Hail Mary’ effort to block climate lawsuits The justices shrugged off a complaint described by legal experts as a “political stunt.”

The Supreme Court shrugged off a Republican-led effort to block climate lawsuits, declining to hear a complaint that legal experts called "a political stunt." @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/regulation/s...

In Canada, Indigenous advocates argue that mining companies violate the rights of nature In Western legal systems, arguments against pollution or the destruction of the environment tend to focus exclusively on people: It’s wrong to contaminate a river, for example, because certain humans ...

My colleague @siisiiko.bsky.social and I wrote about the sixth International Rights of Nature Tribunal, which highlighted the "age-old stories of greed, colonization, … and the ongoing ecocide" caused by Canadian mining companies. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/equity/in-ca...

Big banks abandoned a voluntary climate alliance. Now, critics are calling for new laws. Environmental groups say state and international policymakers must step up to stop fossil fuel financing.

American banks' departure from the Net Zero Banking Alliance is a reminder that voluntary initiatives have never been sufficient to drive the sectors' decarbonization. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/accountabili...

You can also reach me securely by email: leaks.drinking664@simplelogin.com. (This is an alias that forwards to my Proton email.)

Looking for sources who have received a "stop work" order over DEI keywords in their environmental science research, despite their work not having anything to do w/ DEI. E.g., "diverse plant communities," like from this Reddit thread: www.reddit.com/r/conservati... DM me!

Massive encroachment by Bezos into The Washington Post’s opinion section - makes clear dissenting views will not be published

I still have not felt encroachment on my journalism on the news side, but if Bezos tries interfering with the news side I will be quitting immediately and letting you know

Why some Starbucks locations are switching from plastic to paper cups Green groups say it’s a “clear admission” that the plastic ones aren’t recyclable.

One could generously say it's "unclear" whether Starbucks' plastic cups actually get recycled. Paper cups and ceramic mugs would help the company meet its goal of 100% reusable, compostable, or recyclable packaging by 2030. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/accountabili...

Shivers from this quote: "Give your lectures, take your tests, do not ask why or what any of it means in a larger sense or question the enabling fiction that separates your work from the rest of the world. And never, ever ask where the money comes from ..." www.thecrimson.com/article/2025...

Trump’s attack on paper straws is mostly symbolic — but the plastics industry is celebrating Trade groups are seizing the moment to call for fewer restrictions on plastics.

Trump’s attack on plastic straws is the latest salvo in a culture war that pits care for the environment against values like masculinity and freedom. @gristnews.bsky.social grist.org/politics/tru...