Joseph Winters 🔶
@josephbwinters
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reporter @grist ([email protected]) | @divestharvard alum | he/him | views my own
Seattle, WA
Joined July 2014
Excited to share my latest cover story for @grist, on how companies have co-opted the "circular economy" to promote more plastics recycling. “At this point, any time I hear the phrase ‘circular economy’ I assume that it’s greenwashing.”
grist.org
Can plastics be circular? At a recent conference, companies' answer was a resounding yes.
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I'm mostly off Twitter now but this is important: US appears to have backtracked on support for plastic production caps in UN plastics treaty. For @grist.
grist.org
Environmental advocates understand the announcement as a reversal, calling it “absolutely devastating.”
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In California, a first-of-its-kind lawsuit takes aim at Exxon Mobil for its "decades-long deception campaign" to convince the public that plastics could be recycled. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
The company allegedly “manipulated the public and lied to consumers.”
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Microplastics are ubiquitous — in the environment and in people's bodies. A new review paper in the journal Science synthesizes what we've learned about them over the past 20 years. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
The particles are everywhere, and they may harm human health.
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In last week's edition of @grist's Looking Forward newsletter, I covered an intriguing proposal to give nature political representation through a "planetary parliament."
grist.org
The Planetary Democrats, a European legal association, want to create a global parliament that would represent the interests of the nonhuman world.
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New research proposes a more expansive way to look at companies’ contribution to global net-zero: by tracking their "spheres of influence." My latest for @grist.
grist.org
New research proposes a new, more expansive way to look at companies’ contribution to global net-zero.
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In a major reversal, the US says it will support plastic production limits at the global plastics treaty. Industry groups responded by saying the White House has "turned its back on Americans whose livelihoods depend on our industry." My latest for @grist.
grist.org
In a reversal, the Biden administration will back production limits as part of the United Nations’ global plastics treaty.
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For the first time in nearly 40 years, the EPA used its emergency authority to immediately ban a toxic pesticide. Farmworker advocates say suspending DCPA — sold as Dacthal — will spare workers' children "lifelong harm." My latest for @grist.
grist.org
The immediate suspension will spare workers' children "lifelong harm."
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Carbon credits are supposed to "uplift" communities, but researchers say there's little evidence this is happening on a large scale. Many of the credits' supposed beneficiaries call them "a new form of colonialism." My latest for @grist.
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I've seen a lot of coverage about Kamala Harris' track record on climate. But what about plastics? Experts say she has "the know-how and credentials to challenge plastic pollution as president." My latest for @grist.
grist.org
"She has both the know-how and credentials to challenge plastic pollution."
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RT @EJTodayNews: Does The #Plastics Industry Support Waste Pickers? It’s Complicated. #news #environment #pollution #waste . @josephbwinter….
grist.org
The people who clean up the world's trash say some companies' statements of support are little more than lip service.
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Goodbye, "soy boys." Hello, swole vegans. These plant-based strength athletes are living proof that you don't need to eat animals to be strong. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
These powerlifters and strongmen are lifting heavier weights with a diet that's lighter on the planet.
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Next month, more than 30 cafes and eateries in Petaluma, California, will begin serving beverages in reusable cups by default as part of a first-of-its-kind pilot program meant to reduce pollution from single-use plastic. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
Restaurants and coffee shops in Petaluma are collaborating on a novel experiment to reduce plastic waste.
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The petrochemical industry says it's "fully committed" to the global plastics treaty, but what does that mean? Here's a deep dive into what trade groups think the agreement should include. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
A deep dive into the petrochemical industry's proposals for the global plastics treaty.
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Neither candidate actually answered the climate change question during Thursday's presidential debate. But at least one of them didn't go on an incoherent rant about "H2O." I wrote it up for @grist.
grist.org
President Joe Biden alluded to the Inflation Reduction Act, while Donald Trump went on an incoherent rant about "H2O."
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Excellent story from @lisalsong on chemical recycling, and why it won't solve the plastics crisis.
propublica.org
The plastics industry has heralded a type of chemical recycling it claims could replace new shopping bags and candy wrappers with old ones — but not much is being recycled at all, and this method...
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RT @MelissaValliant: I spoke to @josephbwinters @grist about the latest report card detailing companies' progress on curbing plastic use.….
grist.org
Of the 147 companies with a package recyclability goal, only 15 percent were on track to meet it.
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A series of lawsuits say it's deceptive to call bottled water "natural" — if it's contaminated with microplastics. My latest for @grist.
grist.org
Recent lawsuits say Arrowhead, Evian, Poland Spring, and other bottled water brands are deceiving customers.
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Occidental Petroleum's climate strategy involves selling "net-zero oil." Critics say that's an oxymoron. My latest for @grist, on a new analysis from @CarbonMrktWatch.
grist.org
The company’s climate strategy could result in more emissions than it prevents.
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Oil execs knew natural gas was bad for the climate, but promoted it anyway. That's just one of many revelations from new documents released this week as part of a congressional investigation into Big Oil's climate deception. For @grist, w/ @katemyoder.
grist.org
A trove of documents released ahead of a congressional hearing shows BP acknowledging that gas wasn't as climate-friendly as promised.
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1/ I covered two programs — one in Roubaix, and one near Bordeaux — that illustrate different approaches to waste reduction, including everything from structural interventions to behavioral nudges. Check it out here:
grist.org
Local initiatives in Roubaix and Nouvelle-Aquitaine try different strategies for waste reduction — and behavior change.
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