News & Commentary

The Cloud Weaver’s Song

September 14, 2021 PerspectivesUnited StatesSaul Tanpepper

In a city high above the desert, a dew harvester and her friend sacrifice everything to prove the end of the Great Drying is at hand. The tale of a thirsty society that has retreated to the clouds, published by…

A Séance in the Anthropocene

September 14, 2021 PerspectivesUnited StatesAbigail Larkin

Long after the age of fossil fuels has drawn to a close, a Cherokee teenager attending an elite tribal school puts the last ghosts of coal and oil to rest. A story that retells the experiences of those who lived…

Living Among the Diesel Trucks: My Environmental Injustice Story

September 13, 2021 PerspectivesCaliforniaAndrea Guerra

To a college student who grew up surrounded by heavy truck traffic, warehouses, and commercial hubs in one of California’s most polluted communities, the push to electrify transportation is more than just urgent health policy—it’s personal.

Eight Ways Biden’s Plan Could Build Equity into Our Infrastructure

September 7, 2021 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

From the workplace to the streets to the kitchen, the administration’s agenda could build back better for all. Here’s how.

A Leader to Meet This Moment

August 23, 2021 NRDC in ActionBrian Palmer

NRDC president and CEO Manish Bapna, an economist by training, knows that solving the climate emergency will require the global transformation of key economic systems—and that the transformation cannot wait a day longer.

The South’s Clean Energy Disruption

August 17, 2021 DispatchFlorida, Texas, MemphisRobynne Boyd

The region’s heritage of fossil fuels falters as clean energy rises in its place.

Washington State Adds Emergency Rules to Protect Workers from Heat and Wildfire Smoke

August 13, 2021 DispatchWashingtonLora Shinn

But many advocates point out that to fully address our new climate reality, we also need national solutions.

Defenders of Homes, Hills, and Heritage Unite Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

August 13, 2021 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaNicole Greenfield

Meet five people who are fighting on the ground—from Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina—to stop the destructive fossil fuel project before it’s too late.

How Can I Convince Doomers That It’s Not Too Late to Fight Climate Change?

August 13, 2021 ExplainerUnited States, International

NRDC senior scientist Kim Knowlton explains how to stay in the fight—not throw up your hands.

Fighting Climate Change Through Farming

August 12, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaAlisa Opar

In Central California, small ranches and farms are growing their connections—to the land, to the past, and to each other.

IPCC: We’ve Already Warmed the Planet to Catastrophic Effect, but the Level of That Catastrophe Is Up to Us

August 9, 2021 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

There’s no going back, but there is a way forward: Act now and go big.

An Advocate for Building Equity into Michigan’s Climate Goals

August 4, 2021 NRDC in ActionMichiganBrian Palmer

NRDC’s Derrell Slaughter sees climate justice as one of the foremost civil rights issues of our time.

These Energy Efficiency Advocates Give Home Comforts a New Look

August 2, 2021 DispatchNew York CityMaudlyne Ihejirika

The Association for Energy Affordability is helping to keep low-income housing cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and good for the pocketbook and our climate, all at the same time.

Communities to Coal Plants: Clean Up Your Mess Before You Go!

July 29, 2021 DispatchTennesseeAustyn Gaffney

Distrust in the TVA runs deep in eastern Tennessee, and as the utility shutters two power plants—Bull Run and Kingston—local activists fear it will close up shop without safely containing its leaky pits of toxic sludge and ash.

On the Island Where It Rained Oil, a Chance to Reimagine St. Croix

July 27, 2021 DispatchNicole Greenfield

Limetree Bay oil refinery recently announced its indefinite closure. As residents reckon with the harm it’s caused, they’re also envisioning a healthier, more prosperous home.

Millions of Leaky and Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells Are Threatening Lives and the Climate

July 26, 2021 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Biden’s Build Back Better agenda would cap them—while putting tens of thousands of people to work.

Climate Art Sets Sail for the Poles

July 16, 2021 PerspectivesInternationalClara Chaisson

The polar expedition ship Endurance will take its long awaited maiden voyage this summer—with a permanent climate art exhibition on board.

Nurses Wanted in a City Long Plagued by Coal Plant Pollution

June 29, 2021 DispatchPeoriaMaudlyne Ihejirika

Through efforts to train a more diverse pool of nurses and create family-sustaining careers, workforce leaders in Peoria, Illinois, are jump-starting their economy and addressing the inequities of the past.

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

June 29, 2021 NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, MontanaCourtney Lindwall

The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

Protesting like Your Life Depended on It

June 28, 2021 PerspectivesUnited StatesBrian Zabcik

A former ACT UP organizer explains how his AIDS activism in New York City—and his upbringing on a Texas farm—helped him become a better environmentalist.