News & Commentary

Monarch Butterflies Struggle as Feds Delay Protection

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogMexico, United StatesDr. Sylvia Fallon

In the last six years, many voluntary efforts have been made to help boost monarch populations. Now the butterflies will have to wait even longer to receive more help.

Climate Wins!

November 12, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, San Antonio, Denver, Columbus, CincinnatiHilary Firestone

Voters make it clear that the climate matters in this year’s local elections.

Mario Molina's Life Understanding, Protecting Our Atmosphere

October 13, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, MexicoDavid Doniger, Amanda Maxwell

Remembering Dr. Mario Molina, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his 1974 discovery of the mortal threat to the earth’s protective ozone layer from chlorofluorocarbons.

Developers Abandon the Atlantic Coast Pipeline for Good

July 6, 2020 Expert BlogWest Virginia, Virginia, North CarolinaNRDC

The decision is a landmark win for those who saw the polluting project as a threat to waterways, wildlife, the climate, and vulnerable communities.

Three Lessons Learned from the Axed Atlantic Coast Pipeline

July 6, 2020 Expert BlogVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaGillian Giannetti

This is a significant and long-overdue victory for the landowners, community leaders, countless people across three states, and environmental advocates who have fought this project for years.

Urban Innovator

June 30, 2020 NRDC in ActionCharlotte, North Carolina, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Paul, Minnesota, Austin, TexasKeith Mulvihill

Through her work in the buildings sector, Wendy Lee helps propel cities into a fairer and more energy-efficient future.

San Antonio Finds the Key to Flood Control in Its Gardens

December 23, 2019 DispatchSan Antonio, TexasAnne N. Connor

As climate change brings heavier rains, local officials and developers are managing the deluge of stormwater runoff with some low-tech—and pretty—solutions.

Ten Environmental Stories to Mark a Decade in Latin America

December 20, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, BrazilAmanda Maxwell, Carolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce

The Latin America team at NRDC reflects on the incredible environmental milestones we've witnessed in our work, and beyond.

Blueprint of a Buyout: Harris County, Texas

September 17, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, TexasAnna Weber

Harris County’s program may be a harbinger of the future, when Americans are displaced by flooding and frustrated by the uncertainties of relocation assistance.

The Ohio River Defines the Borders of Five States—But Its Pollution Doesn’t Stop at State Lines

August 21, 2019 DispatchPennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, IllinoisSusan Cosier

In a move that could open the door to industrial waste and interstate squabbles, the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission is making its water quality standards voluntary.

Latin America Can Be a Climate Leader with Better Land Use

August 21, 2019 Expert BlogBrazil, Chile, Mexico, ColombiaCarolina Herrera

One climate priority where Latin America can and must make critical progress and show leadership is land use.

Cities Fight to Keep Courts Open for Claims Against Big Oil

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogCalifornia, Baltimore, Rhode IslandDavid Hawkins, Pete Huffman

Federal appeals courts will soon hear important cases brought by municipal governments grappling with the mounting costs of climate change.

How Austin Plans to Grow—Without Adding More Cars to Its Roads

July 17, 2019 DispatchAustin, TexasMike Clark-Madison

By tackling transit, ride sharing, and more, the Texas capital hopes to embrace its big-city identity.

These Texans Are Sick of Chemical Fires and Toxic Spills in Their Backyard

June 11, 2019 DispatchTexasTim Vanderpool

A community along the Houston Ship Channel ramps up its fight against heavy industry and lax oversight after another petrochemical factory blaze closes local schools and causes a spike in respiratory illness.

American Cities Climate Challenge PACE Roundtable in NYC

June 5, 2019 Expert BlogGeorgia, Atlanta, Ohio, Columbus, Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Texas, San AntonioPhilip Smith

Riding a strong tailwind from recent climate and sustainability legislative successes, earlier this month, the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge brought its PACE (Property Assessed Clean Energy) Financing Cohort to New York for an intensive, dialogue-driven Roundtable with the four…

You Can’t Stop the Wind. But These Folks Are Trying Anyway.

April 19, 2019 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

In Texas, tax breaks for fossil fuels outpace tax breaks for renewables by a rate of two to one. Guess which sector is whining about unfairness?

Wind and Solar Are the Final Nails in Coal’s Coffin

January 11, 2019 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

If you want to know where coal is headed, look no farther than Texas—where this dirty fuel is in its death throes.

The Race to Develop Offshore Wind—and Protect Endangered Whales

September 17, 2018 DispatchEast, Rhode IslandNicole Greenfield

As Northeast states make impressive commitments to this clean energy source, scientists are helping them stay out of the way of marine mammals.

The Oil and Gas Industry Wants Us to Protect It From Climate Change

August 31, 2018 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

Seriously. It’s asking American taxpayers to fund a 60-mile seawall along the refinery-heavy Texas Gulf Coast.

Climate Change Is Worsening Houston’s Housing Crisis

August 8, 2018 DispatchHouston, TexasTim Vanderpool

Since Hurricane Harvey, homelessness has gone up, some public housing residents are living in severely damaged homes, and others have been cast out to remote suburbs—to the detriment of local well-being and the economy.