Stories by Naomi Oreskes

The carcinogenic effects of asbestos have been known for decades. We should have banned it long ago

Scientific expertise is typically limited and specific. When evaluating scientific claims, look to the relevant experts

Scientific research needs to slow down, not speed up, to produce trustworthy results

Fossil-fuel companies use captured carbon dioxide to extract more fossil fuels, leading to a net increase in atmospheric CO₂

The argument that we have to choose between saving nature and strengthening the economy is a false dichotomy

The name Anthropocene means human activity is profoundly changing our environment, and you’ll have to plan for those changes

Media attention to Ivy League schools distracts from the much more important—and undersupported—public university system

The Cochrane Library, a trusted source of health information, misled the public by prioritizing rigor over reality

Awarding Rosalind Franklin a Nobel Prize posthumously for her role in DNA discovery is the honorable—and scientific—thing to do

Outrage, not hope, will move us to prevent gun violence

Nuclear fusion will scale up too late to avoid climatic catastrophe

Recent efforts to weaken labor protections for minors are linked to the social Darwinist notion that people are inherently unequal

Fake claims that Social Security is broken and that climate action isn’t urgent all come from flawed free-market ideology

Compared with landslides, volcanoes and hurricanes get a lot more attention, as well as research funding

More people will not solve the problem of too many people

“Realists” argue that climate plans need to accommodate oil and gas, but that only perpetuates the climate crisis

The mountaineer Hilaree Nelson inspired people to care about the climate crisis

In an ominous sign of global warming, melting permafrost underneath Arctic lakes lets them drain into the ground

Concerns about accusations of hype may have biased them toward conservative underestimates

Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability will take energy industry donations, which will warp priorities and research agendas

Researchers worry about being branded as partisan, but people want to hear from experts

Instead of scaling up renewable energy, researchers promote unproved ideas

Greenhouse gas emissions from research damage climate

Doctors may accept spurious claims about medical treatments, and invalid studies wrongly influence public policy