News & Commentary

Poll: People Want Action on Plastics for Health and Wildlife

April 15, 2024 Expert BlogInternational, Canada, United States, Ohio, PennsylvaniaDaniel Rosenberg

New poll results show overwhelming public support for government action to address the plastic crisis, including a strong global plastics treaty.

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.

Driving Ambition, Action, and Equity at COP28: Part 1

December 14, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Jake Schmidt, Brendan Guy, Joe Thwaites, Jennifer Skene

World leaders in Dubai sent a clear signal: the end of the fossil fuel era has begun, and the world is rapidly transitioning to a clean energy economy. This helps put the world on a firmer pathway in this decisive…

How Management Affects Carbon Stored in Forest Soils

December 5, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Dr. Daniel Rath, Carolyn Ramírez

This World Soil Day, let’s take a minute to appreciate how forests, and specifically forest soils, store carbon.

Extinction Findings Underscore Need for Strong ESA

October 23, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lucas Rhoads, Katie Hobbs

Twenty-one long-missing endangered species have been declared extinct. Far from a failure of the ESA, the announcement shows the need for prompt ESA protections. 

Shifting Federal Funding to Communities: ECJ Program Could Be a Historic Opportunity

September 6, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Chantelle "Ella" Mendonsa

The EPA ECJ program grants directed over $2 billion to marginalized communities to reduce pollution, increase community climate resilience, and build community capacity to respond to environmental and climate justice challenges.

UPDATED: Another Court Victory for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee

August 18, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lucas Rhoads

A court sided with NRDC in its latest lawsuit to protect the endangered rusty patched bumble bee, paving the way for critical habitat protections. 

CDFA Soil Biodiversity Report: A Path to Protecting Our Living Soils

August 17, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Dr. Daniel Rath, Arohi Sharma

Soil biodiversity is both vital to our farms and under threat, and a new California report outlines paths forward for protecting it.

Walking the Talk: How Will Canada Halt and Reverse Biodiversity Loss?

July 19, 2023 Expert BlogCanadaDr. Julee Boan

NRDC is working with Canadian and international environmental non-governmental organizations to provide recommendations for how Canada can develop a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan that aligns with its commitments to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Federal Agencies Restore Endangered Species Protections—Mostly

June 23, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lucas Rhoads

U.S. FWS and NMFS proposed to reverse prior rollbacks of protections for imperiled species, but more is needed.

Canada’s Caribou Protection Delays Bring More Forest Degradation

June 19, 2023 Expert BlogOntario, CanadaDr. Julee Boan

Canada gives Ontario another year to degrade at-risk caribou habitat, taking it further away from international promises to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.

Questions Answered on Canadian Wildfires—a Public Health Threat Linked to Climate Change

June 12, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, CanadaDr. Vijay Limaye

Here is some key information that may help us prepare for the future and address the fossil fuels at the root of the problem.

Idaho Approves Statewide Wolf Reduction Plan

May 24, 2023 Expert BlogIdaho, United StatesDr. Jennifer Sherry

Idaho advances sweeping wolf reduction plan that is out of synch with modern science, the views of the public, and the complex reality of the environment.

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…

EPA: Neonics Likely Driving 200+ Species Toward Extinction

May 15, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Lucas Rhoads

U.S. EPA's unprecedented findings confirm that widespread neonic pesticide use threatens critical pollinators, other wildlife, and whole ecosystems. 

NWF Poll: 78% of Farmers Support Crop Insurance Incentives for Cover Crops

May 4, 2023 Expert BlogWashington, D.C.Dr. Daniel Rath, Claire O'Connor, Lara Bryant

New Program Will Help Ensure Reliable Electricity in the West

February 16, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

The Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP) is designed to provide benefits for customers, utilities, and the environment.

Two First Nations Pledge to Save Lake Superior Caribou

January 12, 2023 Expert BlogCanada, OntarioDr. Julee Boan

Two First Nations—Biigtigong Nishnaabeg and Michipicoten—are raising the alarm for the dwindling Lake Superior caribou, the southernmost remaining woodland caribou in North America.

A $3 Billion Milestone for the Western Grid

November 16, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, WestKelsie Gomanie

After a year of record-breaking heat waves, drought, and flooding, add to that list some good news for the Western United States: The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) is positioned to surpass $3 billion in cumulative benefits by the end…

Canada’s Boreal Forest: Why It’s So Important

July 1, 2022 ExplainerCanada

Protecting the boreal is not only about saving trees and wildlife, says NRDC’s Jennifer Skene. It’s also about the people who’ve been living on the land for millennia and the urgent fight against climate change.