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.

Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

April 19, 2024 Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant

The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.

Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

April 10, 2024 ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall

These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.

A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

March 11, 2024 ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool

Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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The Surprise Middleman in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade: The United States

November 20, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new report finds that huge shipments of shark fins are smuggled through U.S. ports on the way to their final destinations.

The EPA Says It Wants “Scientific Transparency.” What It Really Wants Is Control Over Research.

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A newly proposed rule would let Andrew Wheeler decide what kind of science is—and isn’t—allowed to inform our country’s public health protections.

On California’s Fires, More Smoke and Mirrors From Trump

November 8, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

While the state smoldered, the president lashed out at Governor Newsom—and completely ignored the role played by climate change.

IEA: Renewable Energy Has Winning Potential

November 1, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The International Energy Agency says solar is about to boom (some more) and offshore wind farms could power the whole world—18 times over! If we let them, that is.

The Fate of This Coral Species Rests in a Dark Room in Tampa

October 28, 2019 Latest NewsFloridaJason Bittel

Scientists have coaxed Atlantic pillar corals to spawn in captivity for the first time—a breakthrough that could save the species from extinction.

We Need a Just Transition—Because We Should Abandon Coal, Not Coal Workers

October 18, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Taking care of those communities distressed by the shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy is an economic and ethical imperative.

Fight for Climate Action or “Stop Pretending”?

September 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

As far as future-building strategies go, Greta Thunberg’s passionate optimism beats Jonathan Franzen’s placid pessimism any day.

The Fight to End Offshore Drilling Is Bipartisan

September 9, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Because everyone can stand behind clean beaches, thriving coastal economies, and healthy fisheries.

Coal Ash Is Hazardous. Coal Ash Is Waste. But According to the EPA, Coal Ash Is Not “Hazardous Waste.”

September 6, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

And the coal industry is more than happy to keep things that way.

Our Land Is Key to Solving the Climate Crisis

August 9, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Food insecurity, biodiversity collapse, and skyrocketing global temps loom. But a new U.N. report says we have the tools to fix it.

The United States Is the Most Wasteful Country In the World

July 12, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We’re number one! We’re number one!

Out of Sight, Out of Time: The Endangered Species Living Hundreds of Feet Beneath Austin

July 11, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Pollution and the overdrawing of groundwater threaten to wipe out several species of subterranean salamanders.

Congress Has Been Treating Our National Parks and Waters Funding Like a Piggy Bank for Decades

July 2, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The 55-year-old Land and Water Conservation Fund needs to be kept safe from lawmakers who suddenly find themselves strapped for cash.

In Other News, Renewables Just Passed Coal on the Energy Capacity Racetrack

June 21, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

And their lead is expected only to widen.

Three Former Republican EPA Administrators Are Sounding the Alarm

June 19, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

These environmental protectors of the Reagan and Bush eras have some things to say about the state of Trump’s EPA.

Let’s Talk About Pizza, Broccoli Leaves, and Bottom Lines

June 14, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Venture capitalists just made a $16.5 million bet on a start-up that wants to sell people ugly, misshapen vegetables. What’s going on?

Why Everybody Is So Excited About 23 Salmon

June 14, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaAlisa Opar

After millennia of migrating to and from the sea, Chinook salmon disappeared from California’s San Joaquin River 65 years ago. Now they’re trickling back.