News & Commentary

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

March 11, 2024 ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool

Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

DOE Puts People First: LNG Exports Paused Pending Review

January 31, 2024 Expert BlogWashington, D.C., Texas, Louisiana, PennsylvaniaMorgan Johnson

Biden DOE’s pause on LNG exports represents forward movement from an Environmental Justice lens, but must be met with real reform.

RGGI in Pennsylvania: Updates and Looking Ahead to 2024

December 20, 2023 Expert BlogPhiladelphiaRobert Routh

Recent developments establish a benchmark.

Wahkohtowin Development: Creating an Indigenous Conservation Economy

October 12, 2023 Expert BlogCanadaDr. Julee Boan

Using a collaborative approach, Chapleau Cree, Missanabie Cree and Brunswick House First Nations are advancing a new paradigm of sustainability.

America’s Failing Drinking Water System

October 5, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, Buffalo, Houston, Puerto Rico, California, FlintNicole Greenfield

First, Flint, Michigan; then, Jackson, Mississippi. Communities around the country wonder if their water quality problems will lead to the next national crisis.

Governor Shapiro’s RGGI Working Group Concludes: Now What?

October 2, 2023 Expert BlogPennsylvaniaRobert Routh

RGGI States Learning and Sharing On Climate and Equity

June 6, 2023 Expert BlogEast, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, VirginiaJackson Morris

A new report finds that the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative delivers on jobs, emissions reduction, and economic benefits—and provides a framework to address equity in the future.

House Agriculture Approps Bill Would Gut Key Farm Programs

May 17, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaAllison Johnson, Matthew Kaplan, Jeff Slyfield

Congress should go back to the drawing board and build a budget that supports a healthy food system, conservation, and rural energy

Indigenous-led Collaborations Are Transforming Conservation

May 17, 2023 Expert BlogCanadaDr. Julee Boan

The pressure is immense and the clock is ticking to ensure the course correction needed to stave off the worst climate and biodiversity impacts predicted for our industrialized world. A new collective, called the Restore, Assert, Defend (or RAD) Network…

Hungry for Local Action in New Climate Law? Start Here

April 25, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, PhiladelphiaIrene Nielson

Cities can tap into millions but may not know about it yet.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

April 6, 2023 Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez

Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

Water Crisis in Philly Highlights Our Broken National System

March 27, 2023 Expert BlogPhiladelphia, Jackson, Ohio, United StatesErik D. Olson

An industrial chemical spill upstream of the city’s water intakes is poised to contaminate the water supply. If you feel like you’ve seen this movie before, it’s because you have.

IPCC Report Leaves No More Room for Climate Denial in Logging

March 21, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, United States, InternationalJennifer Skene

Industrial logging is a significant driver of global climate change. Ignoring its emissions is a dangerous new form of climate denial.

20 Years of Resistance: Grassy Narrows' Land Defenders

January 18, 2023 Expert BlogCanadaDr. Julee Boan

Asubpeeschoseewagong Anishinabek (Grassy Narrows First Nation) and allies commemorate their fight to stop the industrial logging that was taking place on their territory without their consent.

Community Perspectives: Wasted Food in Philadelphia

November 7, 2022 Expert BlogPhiladelphia, PennsylvaniaAndrea Collins, Madeline Keating

There is not a one-size-fits-all approach to crafting inclusive food waste prevention messaging. Philadelphia worked with community-based organizations to run community focus groups to better understand the biggest barriers to preventing food from becoming waste in local communities.

Mutual Aid and Disaster Justice: “We Keep Us Safe”

October 6, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Mississippi, FloridaNicole Greenfield

As climate-fueled disasters become more frequent—from Mississippi to Puerto Rico and beyond—relief efforts by communities, for communities, could become increasingly critical.

This Lawyer Is Ensuring the Fight for a Just and Clean Energy Future in Puerto Rico Remains Front and Center

September 12, 2022 NRDC in ActionPuerto RicoCarmen Cusido

Five years after Hurricane Maria, NRDC’s Luis Martinez remains committed to helping develop solar projects that make the archipelago more equitable for those most in need.

It's Time for Pennsylvania to Act on Environmental Justice

May 2, 2022 Expert BlogPennsylvaniaMark Szybist

The state's DEP should finalize the EJ policy—making revisions in accordance with the equity groups’ recommendations—and put it to work on RGGI investments.

Puerto Rico Communities Charge Forward with Solar Power

April 5, 2022 Expert BlogPuerto RicoLuis Martinez

Environmental groups, including NRDC, work to help strengthen the archipelago’s climate resilience with community solar projects.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.