News & Commentary

New Jersey Adopts First-of-a-Kind Low Carbon Concrete Law

January 31, 2023 Expert BlogNew JerseySasha Stashwick

The passage of the law is the end result of an unwavering awareness-raising and advocacy campaign.

Right Whale Moms and Calves at Risk from Fast Vessels

November 14, 2022 Expert BlogGeorgia, Florida, New Jersey, EastDr. Francine Kershaw

NY and NJ: Centers of Action on Low Carbon Concrete Buying

October 13, 2022 Expert BlogNew York, New York City, New Jersey, EastSasha Stashwick

This has been a breakout year for policies aimed at reducing embodied carbon in the built environment, with Buy Clean and other public procurement initiatives emerging as among the most critical platforms for decarbonizing heavy industry. 

NJ Adopts Nation’s Best Water Affordability Transparency Law

September 13, 2022 Expert BlogNew JerseyLarry Levine

Under the state’s new law, we’ll be able to see where, and to what extent, people struggle to afford utility bills and suffer devastating impacts like shutoffs and tax lien sales.

Meeting the Challenge of Lead Service Line Replacements

May 16, 2022 Expert BlogNewark, United StatesJoan Leary Matthews

Saving Salmon—from One Generation of Fisherwomen to the Next

March 1, 2022 DispatchOregon, Washington, WestNicole Greenfield

Keyen Singer, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, carries on a maternal legacy of conserving salmon and preserving culture. Their efforts could soon pay off.

An Environmental Justice Advocate Inspires Others to Become Agents of Change

February 22, 2022 DispatchNewark, New JerseyKyler Sumter

Yvette Jordan is teaching communities impacted by environmental injustice about the power of speaking up.

New Jersey Enacts Groundbreaking Neonic Legislation

January 19, 2022 Expert BlogNew JerseyLucas Rhoads

New Jersey has enacted legislation that significantly curtails use of neonicotinoid pesticides, or "neonics," insect-killers that are a leading cause of mass bee losses, contribute to declines in birds and other wildlife, and pose risks to human health.

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.

Senator and WA Governor Join Forces to Tackle Snake Dams

November 1, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, WestGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) and Washington Governor Jay Inslee answered advocates’ calls to energize the decades-long push to save our iconic salmon from extinction.

Orcas Lose a Grandmother, Matriarch L47

October 15, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

This Saturday is Orca Recovery Day and people are coming together for some healing—and to demand action.

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.

Sockeye Salmon Dying, Temperature Rises on Snake River Dams

July 28, 2021 Expert BlogWashington, OregonGiulia C.S. Good Stefani

Columbia River Basin sockeye salmon are migrating upriver from the ocean, but new underwater videos show that this summer the fish have large chunks of flesh missing and bulbous growths across their bodies. The fish are rotting to death in…

Brief Filed in Lawsuit to Protect Delaware River from PCBs

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMarisa Guerrero, Julia Jonas-Day

Water quality in the Delaware River is under threat of PCB chemical pollution from a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal. To protect the river, NRDC filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging the facility's dredging and construction…

Quieting Puget Sound for Endangered Southern Resident Orcas

April 27, 2021 Expert BlogWashingtonRegan Nelson

Quiet Sound, an innovative new program to reduce vessel noise in Puget Sound, receives crucial state funding.

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…

"We Are the Same as the Salmon": A Story of Suffering and Perseverance

December 17, 2020 DispatchWyoming, Idaho, Oregon, WashingtonNicole Greenfield

Thirty years ago, the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes led the effort to save Snake River sockeye salmon from extinction. Today, they’re still fighting for the fish’s survival—along with their own.

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.

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.