News & Commentary

Even One More Oil and Gas Lease Sale in the Gulf of Mexico Is Too Many

November 17, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaCourtney Lindwall

An expansion of offshore drilling would lock the region into decades of fossil fuel extraction at the expense of the climate, coastal communities, and marine life.

America’s Failing Drinking Water System

October 5, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, Buffalo, Houston, Puerto Rico, California, FlintNicole Greenfield

First, Flint, Michigan; then, Jackson, Mississippi. Communities around the country wonder if their water quality problems will lead to the next national crisis.

After Decades, Tenants Are Still Fighting NYC Public Housing for Speedy Mold Relief

September 21, 2023 DispatchNew York, New York CityNicole Greenfield

In the 1990s, they organized. In 2013, they sued. In 2023, residents continue the fight for safe homes in NYCHA developments across the city.

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.

Advocates Are Sparking a Revolution in Louisiana's “Cancer Alley”

November 10, 2022 DispatchSt. James Parish, LouisianaNicole Greenfield

Residents of St. James Parish are fighting to boot harmful petrochemical plants from this majority-Black community—and hoping to usher in more sustainable industries like solar.

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.

What Is Congestion Pricing?

May 25, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, New York City

Fees charged for driving on busy city roads reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality while also generating sorely needed funding for the transit systems that many people rely on for their daily commutes.

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.

These Energy Efficiency Advocates Give Home Comforts a New Look

August 2, 2021 DispatchNew York CityMaudlyne Ihejirika

The Association for Energy Affordability is helping to keep low-income housing cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and good for the pocketbook and our climate, all at the same time.

How Rikers Island Became a Vehicle for Justice (Once It Started Shutting Down)

May 3, 2021 DispatchNew York City, New YorkCourtney Lindwall

The Renewable Rikers plan to reimagine the site of New York City’s notorious jail complex could bring green jobs, cleaner air, and community investment to the neighborhoods most harmed by mass incarceration.

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.

These Farmer-Activists Are Fixing Our Racist and Unjust Food System

October 27, 2020 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

Black Farmer Fund is part of a collaboration of New York–based groups working to repair a system that has long discriminated against BIPOC farmers.

Connector of the Gulf South, 15 Years and Counting

August 24, 2020 DispatchNew Orleans, LouisianaKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Colette Pichon Battle is getting the conversation going—and the preparations moving—for Black and Indigenous communities of Louisiana who are still healing from Hurricane Katrina, even as they stand on the frontlines of climate change.

The Entrepreneurs Transforming Scraps Into a Fashion Statement

August 18, 2020 DispatchNew York CityLauren Evans

A new generation of designers and resource specialists is springing up around the textile waste created by the fashion industry—and taking it to market.

As Sea Level Rise Threatens Their Ancestral Village, a Louisiana Tribe Fights to Stay Put

April 13, 2020 DispatchLouisianaBarry Yeoman

They survived the BP oil disaster, Hurricane Katrina, and decades of industry spoiling their wetlands. Whatever their future holds, the people of Grand Bayou want to decide it for themselves.

The Mother Who Became a Voice for the Gulf

April 6, 2020 DispatchLouisianaNicole Greenfield

After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, Kindra Arnesen went to the mat to help heal and protect her southeastern Louisiana community and the fishery it relies on. Ten years later, she’s still fighting.

Getting the Lead Out of Yonkers Schools

April 2, 2020 DispatchYonkers, New YorkNicole Greenfield

When New York State pulled back the curtain on its school lead problem, Yonkers stood out as one of the worst performers.

What Does the Plastic Bag Ban Mean for New Yorkers?

February 27, 2020 ExplainerNew York, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

Here’s everything you need to know before plastic carryout bags disappear from the Empire State on March 1.

The People of the Isle de Jean Charles Are Louisiana’s First Climate Refugees—but They Won’t Be the Last

September 23, 2019 DispatchLouisianaRobynne Boyd

Whether and how to uproot communities are difficult and painful questions, and we need to get better at answering them.

How to Win Parks and Influence People, NYC Edition

August 16, 2019 DispatchNew York CityJeff Turrentine

In Manhattan, green-space advocates realized their dream of building Chelsea Green, a new community park, by becoming affordable-housing advocates, too.