Unearthed: Greenpeace

Established in 2012 under the name Energydesk, we began as a small group of journalists committed to providing transparent and truthful reporting on energy and climate issues. Now known as Unearthed, our focus has expanded to encompass a wider range of environmental topics, including forests, oceans, bees, and air pollution, as well as the political and economic factors that influence these areas. With the launch of our investigative unit in 2015, we have been able to tackle significant, challenging stories that require the time and resources often unavailable in many newsrooms, yet are essential to share. We strive to deliver accurate and impactful stories that shed light on aspects of our evolving world that often go unnoticed. While environmental journalism is improving, there remains a gap in comprehensive and ongoing coverage of pressing issues, such as climate change and plastic pollution in our oceans.

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Articles

JBS is likely to fail to deliver on its Amazon deforestation promise, ranchers say

1 week ago | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Naira Hofmeister |Lucy Jordan

JBS, the world’s largest meat company, will fail to meet its flagship commitment to eliminate both legal and illegal deforestation in its vast Amazon rainforest supply chain by the end of this year, according to beef producers. Working with the Guardian and Reporter Brasil, Unearthed interviewed more than 35 ranchers and cattle industry representatives over three field trips to the Amazon. Ranchers told us they believe the company’s ambitious environmental pledge is impossible to achieve.
Sanctioned nuclear icebreakers helped export gas from the Russian Arctic bought by Shell

2 months ago | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Alice Ross

UK oil giant Shell has bought at least 350,000 tonnes of Russian gas in the past 13 months that was escorted through the Arctic circle using sanctioned nuclear icebreakers. An Unearthed investigation identified five 70,000-tonne shipments of liquefied natural gas (LNG) purchased by Shell that were helped through a stretch of frozen Siberian waters by icebreaking vessels run by Atomflot.
The best environmental journalism of 2024 The best environmental journalism of 2024

Dec 25, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Joe Sandler Clarke

Some of the stories we wish we had written this year, selected by the Unearthed team The best environmental journalism of 2024 Some of the stories we wish we had written this year, selected by the Unearthed team The hidden cost of your supermarket salmon, The FT, Alexandra Heal, Lucy Rodgers, Justine Williams, Irene de la Torre Arenas, Dan Clark, Jack Thompson and Ely Cheikh Mohamed Vadel Salmon sold in UK supermarkets is contributing to a growing food crisis in north-west Africa, as shown by...
‘Ultimate hypocrisy’: UK exported 8,500 tonnes of banned pesticides last year

Dec 8, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Crispin Dowler |Naira Hofmeister

The UK exported 8,500 tonnes of pesticides last year that are banned on British farms because of the dangers they pose to human health and nature, a new investigation by Unearthed and Public Eye has found. The shipments, described by campaigners as “the ultimate hypocrisy”, included thousands of tonnes of a weedkiller prohibited in the UK because of the high risk it poses to people living near fields where it is sprayed.
Brazilian farmers poisoned by diquat, a banned pesticide exported from Britain

Dec 8, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Naira Hofmeister

When Brazil banned the notorious weedkiller paraquat, farmers switched to diquat, a close chemical cousin.
Companies behind campaign to ‘end plastic waste’ produced 1,000 times more plastic than it cleaned up

Nov 20, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Zach Boren |Emma Howard

Leading members of a high-profile industry initiative aiming to “end plastic waste” have produced over 1,000 times more plastic than the scheme has cleaned up, according to an Unearthed investigation. The Alliance to End Plastic Waste was launched in 2019 by a major oil and chemical trade group, pledging to invest $1.5 billion in clean-up initiatives that would remove millions of tonnes of plastic from the environment.
JBS broke its supply chain rules buying cows from deforesters of Brazil's wetlands Meat Giant JBS Profits Off Illegal Deforestation of Brazil’s Endangered Wetlands - Unearthed

Oct 31, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Naira Hofmeister |Fernanda Wenzel

The world’s biggest meat company bought cattle more than 100 times from a farm that was sanctioned and fined almost £2m for illegally destroying unique and vulnerable wetlands in Brazil, Unearthed can reveal. Brazilian beef giant JBS, which supplies KFC, McDonalds, Walmart and Tesco, has been repeatedly linked to large-scale Amazon destruction. JBS’s cattle purchases appear to be in direct contravention of its promises to keep its supply chain clean.
Bathing water quality at some top beaches can drop sharply in winter, internal Environment Agency study finds

Oct 2, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Ellie O'Donnell

Bathing water quality at some of England’s highest-rated beaches can decline sharply during the autumn and winter months when official swimming spots are usually unmonitored, according to an internal Environment Agency (EA) study completed earlier this year. The findings of the study – which have not been published, but have been seen by Unearthed – will cause concern among the UK’s many fans of cold-water swimming.
Government flood grants a ‘nightmare’ for households and businesses

Sep 29, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Joe Sandler Clarke

A postcode lottery is leaving flood-hit households and businesses across England unable to access government funding for flood-proofing, an Unearthed investigation has found. The Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant provides up to £5,000 for homes and businesses that have recently flooded to install flood-proofing measures to protect themselves against future events.
Loopholes in France’s pesticide export ban allow growing shipments of toxic chemicals

Sep 23, 2024 | unearthed.greenpeace.org | Crispin Dowler |Naira Hofmeister

Multinational companies are exporting rising quantities of banned chemicals from France to be used in pesticide production overseas, after the French government failed to act on its promise to end this practice. A new investigation by Unearthed and Public Eye reveals how the pesticide industry is exploiting France’s failure to close a loophole in its landmark ban on the export of pesticides that are prohibited for use on its own farms.