News & Commentary

These Photographs Show How the Rising Sea Connects Us All

October 21, 2021 PerspectivesInternationalJeff Turrentine

In images both beautiful and disturbing, photographer Kadir van Lohuizen documents how sea level rise is altering coastlines—and lives—around the world.

Environmental Justice in Chicago: It’s Been One Battle After Another

October 29, 2020 PerspectivesChicagoKeith Mulvihill

Cheryl Johnson and Peggy Salazar have been speaking out against pollution and environmental injustice for decades, but the city of Chicago sees their South Side neighborhoods as sacrifice zones. They are demanding change.

Putting an End to “Colonial Science”

August 27, 2020 PerspectivesInternationalJeff Turrentine

The scientific community is starting to confront internal biases that support social stratification, hinder international cooperation, and—sometimes—impair research.

These Fanciful Sea Creatures Were Carried in on the Tide

June 2, 2020 PerspectivesOregonPatrick Rogers

An Oregon community is making spectacular statues out of ocean plastic to raise awareness about a crisis at sea.

This Muralist Is on His Way to Painting 50,000 Bees Around the World

April 14, 2020 PerspectivesUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Representing the number of honeybees that live in a healthy hive, Matthew Willey’s creations remind us of the pollinators’ plight and how our worlds intersect.

Why the EPA Needs Another William Ruckelshaus (1932–2019)

December 13, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The agency’s first administrator built the EPA from scratch—and established the nonpartisan, antipolluter culture that the Trump administration has all but abandoned.

Think You Know What Water Looks Like? Take a Look at This.

December 5, 2019 PerspectivesArcticAlisa Opar

Photographer Roger Fishman goes airborne to capture a unique perspective on rapidly changing Arctic landscapes.

Gaze Into This Reflecting Pool and See Your Plastic Self

June 6, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

Dutch artist Thijs Biersteker’s kinetic installation puts the “I” in plastic pollution.

Is Climate Fiction a Subset of Science Fiction—or Something Else Entirely?

May 17, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A new novel imagines what life in Bangkok would be like if nearly half the city were underwater—which some experts say is a real possibility.

Sculptures Under the Sea—and on the Front Lines of Climate Change

June 6, 2018 PerspectivesInternationalPatrick Rogers

Artist Jason deCaires Taylor’s majestic and eerie underwater sculpture parks give voice to our oceans in distress.

Americans Red and Blue Unite Against Trump's Plan to Drill the Atlantic

August 28, 2017 PerspectivesEast, United StatesJeff Turrentine

Not even the Republican governors who supported him are willing to get behind it.

Meet the Fish That Builds Works of Love on the Seafloor

August 4, 2017 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

Who knew the unassuming male pufferfish is one of nature’s greatest artists?

Meet the Aboriginal Community Turning Abandoned Fishing Gear into Art

July 21, 2017 PerspectivesInternationalClara Chaisson

On Australia’s Cape York Peninsula, artists weave deadly “ghost nets” into totems.

New Yorkers, Meet the Neighbors You Never Knew You Had

June 8, 2017 PerspectivesNew York CityClara Chaisson

A public photography exhibit at Brooklyn Bridge Park introduces city dwellers to the amazing marine life of the New York Bight.

What Do Corals and Crochet Have in Common? More Than You Think.

November 9, 2016 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

For more than a decade, crafty twin sisters have been stitching up activism for our ailing oceans.

What’s the Buzz on the Street? 50,000 Hand-Painted Honeybees.

October 7, 2016 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

Artist Matthew Willey is leaving his mark all around the world—making sure everyone knows about this pollinator’s plight.

Sometimes Art Has to Get Gritty—Especially When Big Oil Provides the Muse

August 10, 2016 PerspectivesChicagoSusan Cosier

A new exhibit displays the many forms of petcoke and the Chicagoans determined to rid it from their communities.

Handle With Care

February 22, 2016 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

This artist’s handmade porcelain reefs are almost as fragile as the real thing.

What’s In Your Pajamas?

January 21, 2016 PerspectivesUnited StatesRocky Kistner

A new film follows a father on his quest to uncover the industrial chemicals his daughters encounter via everyday products.

Starved by the Sea?

November 17, 2015 PerspectivesCaliforniaAlisa Opar

Mass die-offs in the Pacific are sending the emaciated bodies of seabirds, seals, and sea lions ashore from California to Alaska.