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.

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 61 - 80 of 627

Filter Results

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.

Jair Bolsonaro to a Horrified World Community: “The Amazon Is Brazil’s, Not Yours”

August 30, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

The fires are no accident. They were ignited by Brazilian ranchers who felt emboldened by their pro-deforestation president.

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.

Japan Goes Rogue and Resumes Commercial Whaling

July 18, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

The nation’s departure from the International Whaling Commission was followed immediately by the slaughter of two minke whales.

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.

Millions of Songbirds Do Not Need to Suffer Gruesome Deaths So the Olive Industry Can Save a Buck

June 26, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

A new practice of harvesting olives at night leads to grim mortality statistics for migratory birds in southern Europe.

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.

In the Fight Against Climate Change, Humans and Wildlife Are Allies

June 11, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

Scientists say we must fight the biodiversity crisis and climate change at the same time.

The Top-Down Contamination of the EPA

May 31, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

One thing hasn’t changed since Andrew Wheeler replaced Scott Pruitt: Career staffers are still being pressured to lie for their boss.

U.N. Report: A Million Extinctions and Ecological Collapse Are on the Way

May 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

We got ourselves into this mess. It’s high time we got ourselves out of it.

When Your Planet Calls 911

May 10, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The systems that allow life on earth to exist are breaking down. We’re responsible. But we also have the power to turn things around.

Trump Hatches a New Plan to Attack Science

May 3, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In the administration’s ongoing war on environmental laws, the tactics can be subtle but the strategy is straightforward: Give corporate polluters every chance to fight the rules they don’t like.