News & Commentary

Environmental Justice: One Texas Man’s Refinery Fight

August 26, 2016 DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine

For activist Bryan Parras, a native of Houston’s refinery-filled east side, the personal is very much the political.

Why Aren’t We More Freaked Out About Louisiana?

August 24, 2016 Latest NewsLouisianaJeff Turrentine

Climate change is conditioning us to accept natural disasters as “the new normal.”

Protecting Our National Parks for Another 100 Years

August 24, 2016 ExplainerUnited StatesJillian Mackenzie

If we don’t address these increasingly severe threats, America’s most treasured lands might soon be unrecognizable.

Solar on Southern Rooftops? Let’s Call Them “Freedom Panels.”

August 15, 2016 DispatchEastRobynne Boyd

As small-scale solar starts to shine in the Southeast, some residents are getting a first taste of energy independence.

Sometimes Art Has to Get Gritty—Especially When Big Oil Provides the Muse

August 10, 2016 PerspectivesChicagoSusan Cosier

A new exhibit displays the many forms of petcoke and the Chicagoans determined to rid it from their communities.

Can Rio Survive the Olympics?

August 4, 2016 Latest NewsBrazilJeff Turrentine

Only if it treats the games like a marathon—and not a 100-yard-dash.

Companies Mining Sand for Oil and Gas Threaten Midwest Fields, and Farmers Are Fighting Back

July 25, 2016 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

A group of Illinois landowners have waged a legal battle against a fracking company to protect their agricultural community.

Britain's New PM Just Sacked Its Climate Agency—What Now?

July 21, 2016 Latest NewsInternationalJeff Turrentine

On her very first day in office, Prime Minister Theresa May abolished the U.K.’s climate change department. Will the Brits keep the climate promises they made in Paris?

Airplanes vs. Bullet Trains: The Race Is On in Texas

July 13, 2016 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

Fifty years ago, Southwest Airlines revolutionized regional air travel. Now another Texas-based business is launching a counterrevolution on the ground—and the carbon savings could be huge.

Taking a Stand for Peru’s Old-Growth Trees

July 13, 2016 NRDC in ActionPeruClara Chaisson

How NRDC helped protect the Tahuamanú Rainforest from illegal logging.

Coal Is Literally Killing Us

June 30, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A Harvard study says clean energy could save billions of dollars—and thousands of lives—every year.

Who Pays for Mine Cleanup After Big Coal Goes Bankrupt?

June 22, 2016 DispatchIllinois, Indiana, Kentucky, TennesseeSusan Cosier

Peabody Energy’s recent filing could change how the country funds mining messes.

Keeping the Spirit Bear Coast Clear of Tar Sands Oil

June 22, 2016 NRDC in ActionBritish Columbia, CanadaClara Chaisson

The ancestral homeland of British Columbia’s First Nations is no place for a dilbit disaster.

Adios, Diablo Canyon

June 21, 2016 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A huge California utility is closing the state’s last nuclear reactors—proving to the rest of the country that we can transition to clean energy.

What Happens If We Add 10 Million Electric Cars to Our Roads—But Can’t Plug Them In?

June 17, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Everybody’s excited about the coming EV revolution. But without the right infrastructure, it’ll never go anywhere.

Oil Drilling and Wetlands Don’t Mix—Especially in Big Cypress

June 2, 2016 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

On a national preserve at the edge of the Everglades, oil exploration is threatening fragile habitat and endangered species, from woodpeckers to panthers.

Guess Which State Towers Over All the Others on Wind Energy?

May 26, 2016 Latest NewsIowa, MidwestJeff Turrentine

If you want to know what the future of renewables looks like, look no further than Iowa.

One of the Worst Places for a Pipeline? Under the Great Lakes

May 19, 2016 DispatchCanada, Michigan, WisconsinSusan Cosier

The strong, erratic currents of the Straits of Mackinac could make an oil spill disastrous for two lakes and a whole lot of coastline.

If You Care About Kids, You Care About Climate

May 18, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

If we really want to protect our children, we’ll need to focus on the actual threats to their health and well-being—like drought, flooding, disease, and war.

More Wind and Solar Farms Thanks to a Pentagon Partnership

May 18, 2016 NRDC in ActionOregon, United StatesSarah Schmidt

By working with the U.S. Department of Defense, NRDC is mapping the way for renewable energy production near military bases in the West.