News & Commentary

New York Is Exposing the Fashion Industry for What It Is: a Climate Nightmare

February 13, 2023 DispatchNew York, New York City, InternationalNicole Greenfield

The state’s Fashion Act seeks to set a new trend of holding big brands accountable for their exploitation of workers and the environment.

Bitcoin Mining Is Bad for the Climate—and Local Communities Too

April 27, 2022 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

Upstate New York’s defunct power plants have become a hot spot for cryptocurrency operations, and Finger Lakes residents say they’re just another blight.

A New York Climate Justice Activist with Roots in the Blue Ridge Mountains

December 11, 2020 DispatchNew York City, Washington, D.C.Carmen Cusido

WE ACT’s director of environmental health and education, Taylor Morton, who found their path to environmental justice work through a childhood spent in nature, wants to help the next generation get outside without fear.

As the Amazon Burns, Jaguars Burn With It

October 1, 2019 DispatchBrazilJason Bittel

How Brazil’s blazes are devastating for these big cats—and for so, so, so much more.

The Fight to Save Plum Island

February 21, 2019 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

The federal government wants to sell off a wildlife-rich island in Long Island Sound to the highest bidder. No way, say advocates.

This Is Not Your Grandfather’s Birding Club

August 29, 2018 DispatchNew York, New York CityKeith Mulvihill

A passion for women’s and LGBTQ rights is required in Molly Adams’s Feminist Bird Club; birding expertise is not.

For the Delaware River Basin, a Partial Fracking Ban Is a Partial Victory

January 11, 2018 DispatchDelaware, New York, Pennsylvania

Proposed regulations would still allow wastewater to be disposed of in the watershed, with risks to both drinking water and the environment.

When It Rains, It Pours Raw Sewage into New York City’s Waterways

December 12, 2017 DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson

The Big Apple’s combined sewer system is 150 years old—and in desperate need of improvement.

Fixing the Pane Point

January 4, 2017 DispatchUnited States, New YorkJordan Davidson

One woman’s mission to save songbirds from their greatest man-made threat: windows.

The Great Thicket National Wildlife Refuge Is Available for Delivery! (Some Assembly Required)

November 8, 2016 DispatchEast, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, New YorkClara Chaisson

To protect a massive swath of crucial habitat in New England, locals will use their own shrubland to fill in the blanks.

Can Rio Survive the Olympics?

August 4, 2016 Latest NewsBrazilJeff Turrentine

Only if it treats the games like a marathon—and not a 100-yard-dash.

The Great Boto Botch Job

August 20, 2015 Latest NewsBrazilJason Bittel

How a brilliant marketing move led to the slaughter of thousands of pink river dolphins.

Accident at Indian Point

May 14, 2015 Latest NewsNew YorkBrian Palmer

Is it safe to operate a nuclear reactor 34 miles from 8.4 million people?

Rat Pack

April 6, 2015 DispatchNew York CityAlisa Opar

New York is the city that never sleeps—and neither do its rat researchers.

A Carbon Sink, Sinking

March 18, 2015 Latest NewsBrazilBrian Palmer

A new study suggests excess carbon dioxide is shrinking the Amazon.

Let the Wily Go Wild?

January 14, 2015 Latest NewsNew York CitySusan Cosier

Cities across the country have learned to live with coyotes. Why not New York?

Ants: The Best Kind of Litterbug

December 22, 2014 Latest NewsNew York CityPerrin Ireland

Think before you squish that ant—those little guys are great at cleaning up our big messes.