News & Commentary

Meet the activists and NRDC staff propelling change, read our expert analysis, and learn about the latest challenges and solutions to advancing a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world.

Latest News

Stay on top of the latest research, policy updates, publication releases, and environmental news. 

Explainer

Get a breakdown of complex climate, public health, nature, and equity topics to inform your activism.

Dispatch

Read about activists tackling climate justice and other environmental causes in their communities and beyond.

Perspectives

Discover intersectional viewpoints from activists and artists on the environmental issues of the moment.

NRDC in Action

Find out how NRDC protects people and the planet by learning about some of our key fights.

Expert Blogs

Hear from our policy advocates, scientists, and litigators about the challenges and solutions for building a healthier and more just world.

Viewing 121 - 140 of 342

A New Customer Bill of Rights: Affordable Utility Services

Expert BlogIllinois, United StatesDeron Lovaas, Larry Levine
The vital need for uninterrupted utility service was evident before the coronavirus pandemic, but the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinforced the essential nature of utility service and the threats of energy and water poverty.

Chicago Lays Out New Green Recovery Priorities on COVID-19

Expert BlogChicago, IllinoisStefan Schaffer
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a series of environmental priorities aligned with a “Green Recovery,” a significant step toward reducing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels and creating more equitable economic opportunities in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

China Commits to Strictly Control and Phase Down Coal

Expert BlogChinaAlvin Lin
At the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, President Xi reiterated China’s commitment to climate action, including by strengthening its efforts to cap and bring down its coal consumption and to transition decisively from coal.

Crisis to Opportunity: China Moves Fast to Protect Wildlife

Expert BlogChinaNing (Lisa) Hua
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, China accelerated the pace of wildlife protection over the last year, which included the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopting a decision to ban the trade of wildlife as food and to…

Latinx Leaders Paving the Way for Climate Action

Expert BlogLos Angeles, Chicago, New York City, San AntonioEloisa Portillo-Morales
Cities are leading the charge on climate action—reimagining how streets can be used, passing bold climate legislation, and creating green, equitable jobs. At the core of many of these efforts are Latinx leaders, whose activism has been instrumental in paving…

China Gives a Cool Boost to Effort to Reduce Global Warming

Expert BlogChinaAlex Hillbrand, Mona Yew
President Xi Jinping's announcement that China has decided to accept the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer is a major global climate win that should also lend a boost of confidence to broader…

Time to Bury Big Oil's Criminal Enhancement Bill for Good

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
An Illinois legislator is pushing for a bill which would significantly enhance criminal penalties for anyone entering or causing damage to a very widely defined group of “critical infrastructure facilities,” effectively chilling peaceful exercise of freedom of speech, and threatening…

Environmental Justice Protects Public Health

Expert BlogChicago, IllinoisGina Ramirez
Chicago’s health care professionals are calling on the city’s Department of Public Health to be accountable to policy decisions that put communities at risk. This is a major step in our fight for environmental justice because racism is a public…

Victory in California

Expert BlogCalifornia, Chicago, IllinoisLauren P. Phillips
A court rules that California must stop exempting metal shredding facilities from hazardous waste laws, clearing a path to finally protect California communities from metal shredder pollution.

Chicago, a “Sweet Home” for an Endangered Bee?

Expert BlogChicago, IllinoisDaniel Raichel
The rusty patched bumblebee's appearance in Chicago underscores how one patch of native habitat can be meaningful, but what’s most needed is a network of interconnected habitat so that the bee’s populations can recover and once again thrive.

Electric School Buses for Peoria’s Clean Energy Future

Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisSelena Kyle, Alyssa Brown
Two Peoria-area school districts have added electric school buses to their fleets, thanks to the vision and hard work of local educators and students and the creation of the Edwards Settlement Fund.

Just Transition Milestone: Solar Power for Peoria’s ART Inc.

Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisSelena Kyle, Alyssa Brown
Peoria, Illinois has hit a new milestone in its efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. One of the projects funded through our Clean Air Act settlement with the owners of the E.D. Edwards power plant is done!

China Outlines Additional Steps on Climate Action

Expert BlogChinaJake Schmidt, Brendan Guy, Han Chen, Alvin Lin
At the Climate Ambition Summit 2020 on the five-year anniversary of countries agreeing to the Paris Agreement, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced that China would take additional steps to deliver its 2030 ambitions.