News & Commentary

No More Climate Money for Fossil-Fueled Affordable Housing

November 12, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaMerrian Borgeson

It is time to end public investment in new buildings that burn fossil fuels for heating and cooking, locking residents into decades of pollution and undermining California’s climate progress.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Gross Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers

October 30, 2020 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

The ongoing health and safety failures at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, highlight an industry-wide truth: It’s production over people, even in a deadly pandemic.

Systems Based Ag Solutions Required for Systemic Ag Problems

October 29, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaArohi Sharma, Lena Brook

Now is the time for reimagining what our natural and working lands, and broader food and agricultural economy, looks like.

Los Angeles Leads in Easing Consumer Utility Debt

October 27, 2020 Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaMichele Knab Hasson

The City of Los Angeles is taking action to address crippling debt accumulated by low-income utility customers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Committing to Healthy, Affordable & Carbon-Free Homes in Colorado

October 22, 2020 Expert BlogColoradoArjun Krishnaswami, Alejandra Mejia Cunningham, Ariana Gonzalez

Our homes, workplaces, and other buildings are often the foundations of our sense of comfort and community—they are also foundational to climate action.

In Oklahoma, “Yet Another Broken Promise” to Native Americans

October 21, 2020 PerspectivesOklahomaJeff Turrentine

How Governor Stitt teamed up with the head of the EPA to keep tribes from regulating fracking and industrial pollution on their own lands.

After the Local Coal Mine Shuts Down, These Navajo and Hopi Communities Seek a Just Transition

October 20, 2020 DispatchArizonaTim Vanderpool

A year after the Kayenta Mine was closed, both the energy company behind it and the federal government overseeing it have done little to restore the lands they’ve trampled.

San Francisco Grocers Report: Beef & Pork Antibiotic Use Still Hidden

October 19, 2020 Expert BlogSan FranciscoAllison Johnson

For the second year in a row, San Francisco grocers reported almost no details about antibiotics used to produce beef or pork sold in the city. It's time for grocers—and their meat producers—to step up.

Committing to Expanded, Equitable Energy Efficiency in Colorado

October 7, 2020 Expert BlogColoradoAriana Gonzalez, Arjun Krishnaswami

Every day energy efficiency quietly benefits every family across the state of Colorado, but today, on #EEDay2020, we celebrate out loud the dollars saved, the homes comfortably warmed and cooled, and the air cleaned thanks to smarter energy use.

The Fight for Access to Nature in Central Orange County

October 6, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaDamon Nagami

Willowick is the last remaining large piece of public open space in central Orange County.

Raising Shasta Dam Is an Even Worse Idea Than We Knew

October 5, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi

The Trump Administration’s efforts to enlarge Shasta Dam was always a bad idea. In addition to being illegal under California law, it’s been clear for years that raising the height of the dam would destroy Native American sacred sites, harm…

Stop Treating Oil Drilling as a Climate Policy Afterthought

October 5, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaAnn Alexander

California’s oil extraction industry once again emerged mostly unscathed by the state’s climate policy.

The Clean Energy Expert Bringing Black Voices to the Table

October 5, 2020 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaRasheena Fountain

As NRDC’s California state lead for clean energy and equity, Alexis Cureton is working to ensure that communities of color help shape energy policy, both inside and outside of the energy sector.

Committing to Equitable Climate Action in Colorado

September 28, 2020 Expert BlogColoradoAriana Gonzalez, Arjun Krishnaswami

A new report outlines pathways for the state to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reductions required by HB-1261—as well as the health and equity implications of statewide climate actions.

This Is the Moment to Reimagine Public Transportation

September 18, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Seattle, New York CityAmanda Eaken

COVID-19 has changed many aspects of life, including the way we move through our neighborhoods. The pandemic has forced us to reimagine peoples relationship to streets with many cities launching "healthy streets" or "open streets" to allow for more land…

Mussels Help Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound

August 20, 2020 DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan

The humble bivalves, which concentrate everything from heavy metals to cancer drugs in their tissues, provide an ideal way for scientists to monitor nearshore water health.

Doing What’s Right at the National Bison Range

July 27, 2020 Expert BlogWestAmy McNamara

The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes seek to manage the bison they conserved over 100 years ago. It's time to make that happen.

Advancing Park Equity in Los Angeles and Beyond

July 27, 2020 Expert BlogLos AngelesDamon Nagami

Experts discuss how they fight against systems of power that have decided who does—and does not—get to have access to parks, open spaces, and nature.

California Seeks to Reduce Inequity in Access to Nature

July 22, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaDrevet Hunt, Damon Nagami

Natural spaces like rivers, beaches, wetlands, and forests are critical to human health and well-being. California's legislature is poised to take action to ensure access to nature for all its citizens by enacting AB3030.

More Work Ahead to Protect California from Toxic Pesticides

July 21, 2020 Expert BlogCaliforniaAllison Johnson, Miriam Rotkin-Ellman

The state's Department of Pesticide Regulation and Department of Food and Agriculture must end the use of toxic pesticides and invest in diversified organic and regenerative agriculture.