News & Commentary

Fishing in Warming Seas, North Carolinians Trek North to Reel in Their Catch

June 3, 2019 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

As climate change sends fisheries into flux, managers must keep up with the latest science to sustain them.

After Children Began Getting Sick by the Dozens, Parents Took a Hard Look at Their Town’s Toxic Legacy

May 30, 2019 DispatchIndiana, Massachusetts, North CarolinaSusan Cosier

The carcinogen TCE has been lurking in the ground beneath Franklin, Indiana, for decades. Now families are demanding answers.

The Carolinas Face a Climate Trifecta: Floods, Fire, and Heat

January 28, 2019 DispatchNorth Carolina, South CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The National Climate Assessment’s outlook for the two coastal states is daunting, but local leaders are starting to dig in for a fight.

Hurricane-Flooded Hog Farms Could Bring Superbugs to North Carolina Communities

October 23, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

Add antibiotic-resistant bacteria from pig waste to the long list of post-Florence worries.

North Carolina Sees Energy Potential in Pig Poop

July 2, 2018 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

But it may not be the solution local communities need to escape the stench and swill of the pork industry.

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.

Controversial New Pipelines May Slice Through the Southeast

January 16, 2018 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The Atlantic Coast Pipeline—and the Mountain Valley Pipeline, with a similar path—could tear up land and negatively impact people throughout Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina.

This Tiny North Carolina Town Is Sick of Being a Dumping Ground for Pollution

August 21, 2017 DispatchNorth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The largely African-American community of Dobbins Heights hopes to protect its health—and its trees—from the biomass industry.

Offshore Drilling in the Atlantic? “That’s Not Who We Are.”

July 24, 2017 DispatchEast, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, GeorgiaRobynne Boyd

Southern communities prefer their coastlines sandy, beautiful, and bountiful—not filled with rigs and air guns blasting ships or covered in oil.

Status Check for African Elephants

December 22, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, Africa

Vulnerable here, endangered there, threatened over yonder. What do all these classification systems mean for the future of our largest living land animals?

The South Is Keeping a Closer Eye on Coal Ash

November 30, 2016 DispatchSouth Carolina, North CarolinaRobynne Boyd

Thanks to concerned citizens, the coal industry is making progress on how it handles its combustion wastes, but the toxic slurry is still a threat to groundwater.

To Save These Rare Giraffes, Uganda Built an Ark (of Sorts)

October 26, 2016 DispatchAfricaTim Sohn

As poachers and oil drills threaten a recently war-torn national park, a team of rangers and scientists send an endangered herd on an epic journey.

Rhino Horns Are Basically Just Giant Toenails. And These Images Won’t Let You Forget It

September 22, 2016 PerspectivesAfricaClara Chaisson

Artists offer a clever—and disgusting—perspective on poaching (which is also disgusting).

A Smuggler’s Fridge Is No Place for the Weird and Wonderful Pangolin

September 21, 2016 ExplainerAfrica, ChinaJason Bittel

The world must crack down on the pangolin trade or risk losing these animals for good.

You Have More Fingers on One Hand Than There Are Addaxes Left in the Wild

May 25, 2016 Latest NewsAfricaJason Bittel

A recent survey says just THREE of these African antelope remain.

War and Poverty Are Eating Away at Grauer’s Gorillas

April 28, 2016 Latest NewsAfricaJason Bittel

To save these rare great apes in the Congo, you must first save the people.

Getting the Lead Out of Gasoline Around the Globe

March 24, 2016 NRDC in ActionUnited States, AfricaPatrick Rogers

How NRDC spearheaded the solution to an “impossible” environmental problem and protected the health of millions of children.

A Red Flag for Red Colobus

February 8, 2016 Latest NewsAfricaJason Bittel

Hunted by humans and chimps and besieged by civil war and deforestation, Africa’s red colobus monkeys have few reasons to celebrate.

Il Primo Piatto

January 14, 2016 DispatchAfricaClara Chaisson

As the bushmeat trade drives the Bioko drill monkey toward extinction, some West Africans are realizing these animals are worth more in the woods than on the plate.

Here Comes the Sun

December 31, 2015 NRDC in ActionNorth Carolina, CaliforniaSarah Engler

NRDC’s Solar Schools Challenge is the first step toward a brighter future for U.S. students and teachers.