Message From the Editor

As the U.S. grapples with the chaos of Donald Trump and “President-elect” Elon Musk before they’ve barreled into office, DeSmog looks back at a year of vital reporting on industry-funded climate disinformation. 

From record-breaking heat to global elections with urgent consequences for democracy and a safe climate, 2024 was a year of turmoil – but also triumph – as our journalists exposed the climate deniers gaining ground in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and around the world. 

During the past 12 months, DeSmog continued our crucial work by uncovering eye-opening documents and hidden moves to block climate action. Two of our investigations showed the industry’s early knowledge of climate science dates to the 1950s, with a subsequent pivot to denial and delay strategies that seem unfathomable now. 

As I write in our year-end wrap-up, Big Oil “knew better, they ignored responsible actions for decades, and here we are witnessing the devastating consequences that are in line with Exxon’s own models.”

Even in the final weeks of the year, we never let up. We published a major investigation exposing a public university’s blatant embrace of the LNG export industry (despite the blow to Americans’ pocketbooks) and another revealing how a whistleblower blew the lid off an unregulated system of fracking wastewater pipes in Pennsylvania that leaked radioactive waste into one family’s water well. 

We documented the spread of U.S. climate denial think tank the Heartland Institute to the UK and the rise in global lawsuits intended to silence those speaking out in the public interest. In other words, DeSmog closed out this year doing what we do best: revealing the unmitigated truths behind the causes of the climate crisis, and the facts and context you need about climate disinformation, and deniers and delayers who spread it.

Even in a dark year, we have to remember to look for the light. Last week, Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a historic ruling in a case brought by youth activists that said the state was violating residents’ constitutional right to “a clean and healthful environment” by promoting the use of fossil fuels without regard for global warming. 

It’s a rare, major triumph for climate activists, the plaintiffs noted. “This ruling is a victory not just for us, but for every young person whose future is threatened by climate change,” lead plaintiff Rikki Held said in a statement after the decision was announced.

DeSmog’s reporting has uncovered industry documents used in climate accountability lawsuits, and my hope is that the impact of our small but capable team will continue to grow in 2025, however uncertain the future may feel. 

Have a story tip or feedback? Get in touch: [email protected]. Want to know what our UK team is up to? Sign up for our UK newsletter. 

Thanks,
Brendan DeMelle
Executive Director

P.S. Readers like you power our journalism dedicated to climate accountability. Can you donate $10 or $20 right now to support more of this essential work?

A DeSmog Guide to How the World Changed in 2024

— By DeSmog Staff  (12 min. read) —

Our editors and reporters weigh in on a year of seismic political events, and what they’re paying close attention to in 2025.

Whistleblower Demands PA’s Gov. Fix ‘Completely Unregulated’ Fracking Wastewater Network

— By Justin Nobel (13 min. read) —

A new lawsuit alleges toxic, radioactive waste leaked into a PA family’s water well, uncovering a regulatory abyss for miles of fracking pipelines in the state.

Why Is Alberta Falling for Kevin O’Leary’s AI Data Centre Stunt?

— By Mitch Anderson (4 min. read) —

The celebrity investor pitched ‘Wonder Valley’ with no committed investors, no Indigenous partnership, and about 27 megatonnes of projected annual emissions.

How to Start a Public University LNG Research Center: An LNG Lobbyist Director and Donations for Research Votes

— By Sara Sneath and Natalie McLendon (13 min) —

At McNeese State University’s LNG center, “we want to ensure that our LNG industry has a major say in research direction,” one of its project leaders wrote.

Nigel Farage Helps to Launch U.S. Climate Denial Group in UK

— By Sam Bright (5 min. read) —

The Heartland Institute, which questions human-made climate change, has established a new branch in London.

From the Climate Disinformation Database: America First Policy Institute

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) group founded in 2021 by two senior advisors to Donald Trump to prove Trump’s ongoing policy agenda following his departure from office. The AFPI argues for expanded fossil fuel production by “removing undue regulatory constraints” and criticizes the Paris Agreement, describing it as “lopsided” and “unenforceable. It counts among its staff and board individuals who have expressed doubt about the causes and severity of climate change, including Heritage Foundation senior visiting fellow, Stephen Moore, and Texas oil billionaire Tim Dunn. The AFPI says that there is “apocalyptic rhetoric” around environmental issues and that the Biden-Harris administration used climate change as “justification for its sweeping, radical agenda and massive government expansion.”

Read the full profile and browse other individuals and organizations in our Climate Disinformation Database, Ad & PR Database, and Koch Network Database.