News & Commentary

Honolulu's New Climate Laws Will Save Energy and Money

December 23, 2020 Expert BlogHonolulu, HawaiiElizabeth Stampe

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell today signed a long-awaited package of climate legislation that will help reduce carbon emissions and save money for residents and the City.

Latin America’s 2020 Climate Leaders and Laggards

December 21, 2020 Expert BlogInternational, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, BrazilAmanda Maxwell, Carolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce

2020 was a turbulent year in Latin America—and a mixed bag on climate action. It will be important for the incoming Biden-Harris administration to put climate change front and center in its engagement with the region.

Cities Are Leading the Way: 2020 Wins & Look Ahead

December 17, 2020 Expert BlogUnited States, Charlotte, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, St. LouisJay Orfield, Kimi Narita

Cities made tremendous progress in their climate challenge goals throughout a difficult 2020. Now, cities are eyeing all that is possible in the new year.

Honolulu’s New Bus-Only Lane Puts People and Climate First

December 14, 2020 Expert BlogHonoluluElizabeth Stampe, Amanda Eaken

Honolulu has rolled out the red carpet for public transit with its brand new bus-only lane, the city’s first in 30 years. Now, the most sustainable and safe form of transportation will move people faster and more reliably, too.

Food Systems Analyst

July 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionBaltimore, Nashville, Denver, Maryland, Tennessee, ColoradoJeff Turrentine

Andrea Spacht Collins is working to minimize food waste by changing the way we think about what we eat—and what we don’t eat, where it comes from, and where it ends up.

In Landmark Victory for Indigenous Communities, Dakota Access Pipeline Ordered to Shut Down

July 7, 2020 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South Dakota, IowaNRDC

The dangerous crude oil pipeline threatened the water supplies and ways of life for the Standing Rock Sioux tribe. The win underscores the power of dogged defense by Indigenous groups and conservationists, as well as the importance of the National…

Huge Win for Standing Rock and the National Environmental Policy Act

March 25, 2020 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, IllinoisDan West, Dr. Jennifer Sass

A federal court orders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to write a full environmental impact statement for the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Principles for Parks and Equitable Development

August 28, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, MemphisSasha Forbes, AICP

Assets in our communities that offer us increased connectivity, shelter, and planned outdoor spaces can act as triggers that escalate land values which usually price out existing residents, often low-income and people of color, and more often renters. But communities…

Latin America Can Be a Climate Leader with Better Land Use

August 21, 2019 Expert BlogBrazil, Chile, Mexico, ColombiaCarolina Herrera

One climate priority where Latin America can and must make critical progress and show leadership is land use.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

Could These Country Roads Be Toxic to Kids?

April 9, 2019 DispatchIowaSusan Cosier

A county in eastern Iowa has been replacing gravel with slag, a steel industry byproduct. It’s hard, sharp, and potentially a public health concern.

We Made It Only Two Days Into the New Year Before a Species Went Extinct

January 24, 2019 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

Hawaiians will never again hear the song of George the Snail. The fate of Achatinella apexfulva is a cautionary tale of decorative gardens, imported cannibals, and snail sex (or lack thereof).

Hundreds of Workers Who Cleaned Up the Country’s Worst Coal Ash Spill Are Now Sick and Dying

December 17, 2018 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Ten years after the disaster at a Tennessee power plant, the cleanup crew is seeking justice. At the same time, the Trump administration is weakening protections for this toxic pollution.

Facing Down the Ivory Sellers, Pangolin Poachers, and Giraffe Traders

December 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionNew York, California, Hawaii, United States, ChinaNicole Greenfield

Elly Pepper, deputy director of NRDC’s Wildlife Trade Initiative, says there’s much that U.S. advocates can do to end the illegal marketplaces endangering animals across the globe.

Just How Bad Was Hawaii’s Volcanic Eruption for Sea Turtles?

August 24, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

A video showing a sea turtle trapped by lava went viral. Now experts weigh in on the eruption’s potential impact on the endangered animals.

Good News for These Hawaiian Dolphins (That Look an Awful Lot Like Orcas)

August 8, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiCourtney Lindwall

After years of fighting to protect their habitat, we did it! Hawaii’s false killer whales now have a chance to come back from the brink.

With Its New Sunscreen Law, Hawaii Aims to Set a Gold Standard for the World to Follow

July 5, 2018 DispatchHawaiiD. W. Gibson

On the heels of the longest coral bleaching event on record, Hawaii hopes that banning a chemical culprit in sunscreen will help save its reefs.

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.

When a Study Singled Out Memphis’s Unfairly High Power Bills, Grassroots Groups Took Action

March 19, 2018 DispatchMemphis, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

Residents of the southern city spend twice as much as the average American on power. Why? It’s complicated.

This Thanksgiving, Nashville Saves Food and Feeds the Hungry

November 16, 2017 DispatchNashville, TennesseeRobynne Boyd

In Music City, restaurateurs, grocers, farmers, volunteers, the mayor, and NRDC's Nashville Food Waste Initiative are harmonizing in the fight against wasted food.