News & Commentary

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Explainer

Get a breakdown of complex climate, public health, nature, and equity topics to inform your activism.

Dispatch

Read about activists tackling climate justice and other environmental causes in their communities and beyond.

Perspectives

Discover intersectional viewpoints from activists and artists on the environmental issues of the moment.

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Find out how NRDC protects people and the planet by learning about some of our key fights.

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Hear from our policy advocates, scientists, and litigators about the challenges and solutions for building a healthier and more just world.

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A Mentor for Diversity in the Environmental Movement

DispatchChicagoStephanie Valera
Through his work with the RAY Clean Energy Diversity Fellows, Charlie Espedido is helping to change the face of the movement and create pathways for young environmental leaders of color.

Illinois’ Recovery Starts with the Clean Energy Jobs Act

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
The Clean Energy Jobs Act is an essential part of Illinois’ economic recovery. It protects public health and creates good-paying jobs, while ensuring that the people most in need of good jobs and clean air are at the front of…

What Does a Just Recovery Look Like for Illinois?

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
Our economic recovery will ask this unavoidable question: will we double down on the old system—a fossil-fueled, profoundly unequal system that leaves many of us sick and impoverished, and leads us towards climate catastrophe? Or will we learn from our…

Voces for Climate Action

NRDC in ActionChicago, Illinois, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield
NRDC staffers are helping to build environmental equity and empower Latino voices for climate action—a cause that hits close to home.

Why Illinois Needs a New “Normal”

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
Illinois can’t go back to the old “normal,” but as we recover from coronavirus, we can chart a new path forward that centers equity and sustainability.

Pritzker, Lightfoot: Stop Passing the Buck on Enviro Justice

Expert BlogChicagoMeleah Geertsma
On June 25, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (“IEPA”) granted an air permit that will enable the relocation of a notorious metal shredding operation from Chicago’s wealthy and largely white Lincoln Park to the Southeast Side environmental justice community. In…

Pollution Strikes Again on the Southeast Side

Expert BlogChicagoGina Ramirez
The EPA has begun remediation of another nearby ballfield, this time because of shockingly high levels of lead and arsenic in the soil that require immediate removal.

The Revitalization of This Former Coal Town Starts Now

NRDC in ActionPeoria, IllinoisNicole Greenfield
Following a landmark settlement agreement, $8.6 million will be invested back into projects that uplift the community of Peoria, Illinois, where a dirty coal plant is scheduled to close by the end of 2022.

This Is What a Just Transition Looks Like

ExplainerUnited States, Peoria, IllinoisBrian Palmer
To help a community leave its dirty energy economy behind, advocates must fight for local representation, equity, and retraining that prepares workers for high-quality jobs.

Artists and Climate Week at EXPO Chicago

Expert BlogUnited States, ChicagoAndrew Wetzler
During Climate Week, NRDC's partnership with Moscow’s Garage Museum of Contemporary Art will mobilize action on climate change at EXPO Chicago.

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…

Nurturing Nature on the Southeast Side

Expert BlogIllinois, ChicagoGina Ramirez

The Southeast Side, once an industrial capital, is home to a surprising number of beautiful natural preserves: wetlands, forest, and prairie. In order to protect these threatened habitats, there needs to be a shift to a green industrial corridor.