News & Commentary

Mutual Aid and Disaster Justice: “We Keep Us Safe”

October 6, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Mississippi, FloridaNicole Greenfield

As climate-fueled disasters become more frequent—from Mississippi to Puerto Rico and beyond—relief efforts by communities, for communities, could become increasingly critical.

Heat Stress Is Killing Workers. States Can Protect Them.

August 17, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, California, Oregon, FloridaNicole Greenfield

As climate change continues to progress, workers don’t have years to wait for federal rules. So local advocates are helping states create their own.

Gibbstown LNG Terminal: A Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

April 13, 2022 DispatchGibbstown, New Jersey, PennsylvaniaNicole Greenfield

Imagine hundreds of trucks and train cars filled with highly explosive fuel coming through your community every day. These Pennsylvanians and New Jerseyans are fighting to extinguish the project—for good.

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.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

The South’s Clean Energy Disruption

August 17, 2021 DispatchFlorida, Texas, MemphisRobynne Boyd

The region’s heritage of fossil fuels falters as clean energy rises in its place.

Why Florida Needs an Offshore Drilling Ban—One That’s Permanent

December 9, 2020 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

While the state can take solace in the recent moratorium extension, its waters are still at risk from the devastating impacts of seismic testing.

Meet the Sunshine State’s New Clean Energy Darling—Community Solar

August 6, 2020 DispatchOrlandoCourtney Lindwall

As part of the American Cities Climate Challenge, Orlando, Florida’s solar strategies are helping make the clean energy revolution more accessible for all.

A Garden Grows in Newark—and a Community Grows Around It

February 7, 2020 DispatchNewarkJeff Turrentine

How an urban farm became an anchor for the city’s South Ward.

For a Rare Woodpecker in the Longleaf Pine Forest, It's a Hard-Knock Life

January 21, 2020 DispatchFlorida, EastRobynne Boyd

Conservationists have worked hard to help the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker recover, but say there’s still lots more to do. The government seems to disagree.

What Can We Do to Fix the Drinking Water Problem in America?

October 7, 2019 ExplainerUnited States, Flint, Newark, Michigan, New Jersey

Seth Siegel, author of the new book “Troubled Water: What’s Wrong with What We Drink,” says we must change people’s mind-sets and get to the root of the issue to ensure safe drinking water for everyone.

Inside the Fight for Clean Water in Newark

May 21, 2019 DispatchNewark, New JerseyCourtney Lindwall

Denials and delays from city officials have failed to keep residents safe from high levels of lead in their drinking water. These community organizers are busy picking up the slack.

Industry Surrounds Newark’s Ironbound Neighborhood—But These Residents Won’t Let It Define Them

April 1, 2019 DispatchNewark, New JerseyCaroline Craig

The tireless efforts of locals are reshaping one of New Jersey’s most polluted areas.

Has Climate Gentrification Hit Miami? The City Plans to Find Out.

March 11, 2019 DispatchMiamiRobynne Boyd

As the sea rises, low-income neighborhoods on high land are starting to feel squeezed out.

Oklahoma Takes Its Backyard—and Roadside—Butterflies Seriously

September 4, 2018 DispatchOklahomaNatalie Gould Tomko

Situated along the monarch’s migration corridor, the Sooner State is coming up with creative ways to save the imperiled pollinators.

These New Jerseyans Want to Bring “Bomb Trains” to a Halt

July 23, 2018 DispatchNew JerseyNicole Greenfield

Trains carrying combustible crude oil barrel on rickety rails through the Garden State, threatening the safety of millions of people—and their drinking water—every single day.

The South Is Warming Up to Solar

May 11, 2018 DispatchGeorgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, MississippiRobynne Boyd

In the past five years, solar capacity in the South has increased nearly thirtyfold.

Scientists Are Battling a Mysterious Pathogen Destroying Coral Reefs off Florida’s Coast

February 12, 2018 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

Hope is not lost, but the cause of devastating “white syndrome”—not to be confused with coral bleaching—remains unknown.

These Southern Cities Are Going 100 Percent Clean (Energy)

October 23, 2017 DispatchAtlanta, Georgia, Columbia, South Carolina, Orlando, St. Petersburg, FloridaRobynne Boyd

Here’s how they’re getting started.

The Effort to Replant the “Amazon of the South”

September 25, 2017 DispatchGeorgia, Florida, AlabamaRobynne Boyd

These Southerners are bringing the longleaf pine forest back—with some love, seeds, fire, and snakes.