News & Commentary

When You Poison Our Lands, You Poison Us

October 25, 2023 PerspectivesArizona, South DakotaHannah Throssell

The granddaughter of a Navajo uranium miner stands with the Standing Rock Sioux against DAPL.

At Long Last, the Vision of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition Is Realized

August 21, 2023 Expert BlogArizonaBobby McEnaney

The designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument is not only extremely popular but its protections are long overdue.

The Proposed Colorado River Deal: A Short-Term Band-Aid for a Long-Term Problem

May 23, 2023 Expert BlogWest, California, Arizona, Nevada, MexicoDr. Mark Gold

The Colorado River conservation proposal from Arizona, California, and Nevada reduces diversions by 1 million acre feet a year. Is this enough to make river management sustainable?

Six Colorado Basin States Lay Down a Marker for California

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogArizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, WestEd Osann

The "Consensus Based Modeling Alternative" is a positive development in addressing the current water emergency. It’s unfortunate that California did not join in this recommendation.

China’s Top Industries Can Peak Collective Emissions in 2025

January 18, 2022 Expert BlogChinaJake Schmidt

Joint research by NRDC and Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning (CAEP) finds that China’s top coal-consuming sectors—power, steel, cement, and coal-chemicals—can collectively peak both coal consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in 2025.

NRDC Sets Region Specific Water Targets for Each Office

August 10, 2021 Expert BlogUnited States, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Bozeman, Beijing, San Francisco, Santa MonicaMaria McCain

NRDC has seen a steady decline in total water usage institution-wide and has taken steps to advance water stewardship.

Crisis to Opportunity: China Moves Fast to Protect Wildlife

April 21, 2021 Expert BlogChinaNing (Lisa) Hua

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, China accelerated the pace of wildlife protection over the last year, which included the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopting a decision to ban the trade of wildlife as food and to…

China Gives a Cool Boost to Effort to Reduce Global Warming

April 16, 2021 Expert BlogChinaAlex Hillbrand, Mona Yew

President Xi Jinping's announcement that China has decided to accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a major global climate win that should also lend a boost of confidence to broader…

Trump's Eleventh Hour Attacks on America's Natural Treasures

December 14, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Utah, Alaska, Minnesota, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Nevada, New MexicoSharon Buccino

In his final days, President Trump is selling our public lands and waters to the highest bidder to dig, drill and mine.

Cooling with Less Warming: Updates from US, India and China

November 24, 2020 Expert BlogInternational, China, India, United StatesAnjali Jaiswal, Alex Hillbrand, Christina Theodoridi, Prima Madan

Find out the latest on sustainable cooling in the United States, India and China during the NRDC side event on Cooling with Less Warming during the Montreal Protocl meeting this week.

China, Top Player in World A/C Market, Raises Efficiency Bar

July 1, 2020 Expert BlogChinaNoah Horowitz, Alex Hillbrand

China implemented one of the world’s most stringent energy efficiency requirements for room air conditioners today. The move by the globe’s largest buyer and manufacturer of these appliances will save huge amounts of carbon-intensive electricity, putting a formidable dent in…

These NRDC Experts Show Us How We Can Slow the Spread of Zoonotic Diseases

May 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionChina, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

It will take the highest levels of international cooperation, but by working to curb wildlife trade and conserve vast swaths of disappearing habitat, we can minimize the interspecies interactions that spread viruses.

Are My Denim Jeans Bad for the Environment?

August 27, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, ChinaCourtney Lindwall

Environmental reporter Tatiana Schlossberg, author of "Inconspicuous Consumption," says the American staple needs a 21st-century overhaul for the sake of our water, climate, and health.

Saving a Rare Plant and Rescuing a River

August 1, 2019 DispatchArizonaTim Vanderpool

The fate of southern Arizona’s embattled San Pedro River could hinge on whether the government acts to protect the nearly extinct Arizona eryngo—and in doing so puts the brakes on groundwater pumping that’s draining the landscape.

The Desire to Stop Canadian Tar Sands Transcends Borders

January 10, 2019 NRDC in ActionAlberta, Canada, Nebraska, Chicago, IllinoisNicole Greenfield

For more than a decade, NRDC has worked with indigenous communities in Alberta, U.S.-based grassroots groups, and intergovernmental bodies to halt the expansion of dirty tar sands oil.

Facing Down the Ivory Sellers, Pangolin Poachers, and Giraffe Traders

December 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionNew York, California, Hawaii, United States, ChinaNicole Greenfield

Elly Pepper, deputy director of NRDC’s Wildlife Trade Initiative, says there’s much that U.S. advocates can do to end the illegal marketplaces endangering animals across the globe.

The Festering Sanitation Crisis at Our Border

December 3, 2018 DispatchArizona, Mexico, CaliforniaTim Vanderpool

As the Trump administration ratchets up its rhetoric demanding billions for a wall, American communities along the Mexico border are in need of basic services, like reliable sewage treatment.

After 140 Million Years, the Chinese Sturgeon May Soon Be Extinct

November 20, 2018 ExplainerChinaJason Bittel

As dams have popped up in the Yangtze River, one of the world’s biggest freshwater fish is running out of room—and time.

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 Bullfrog Is the “Great White Shark” of Arizona’s Wetlands

August 31, 2018 DispatchArizonaJason Bittel

Conservationists and ranchers are teaming up to drain the swamp (literally) so they can kick these invasive croakers out and save the state’s leopard frogs.