News & Commentary

Made in the Shade: The Promise of Farming with Solar Panels

February 23, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Could we integrate solar power and crop cultivation to the benefit of both? It’s called agrivoltaics—and if done right, it may catch on.

Crypto Has a Climate Problem

February 3, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Digital currencies are booming. So are their emissions.

The Promise and Pitfalls of Net-Zero Pledges

February 3, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

The ubiquitous climate target comes with big loopholes, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t hit it.

Who’s to Blame for Higher Heating Costs This Winter?

December 8, 2021 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Despite what the fossil fuel industry would like you to believe, rising natural gas prices have nothing to do with pro-climate policies.

Illinois Shows Us What the Road to Clean Energy Should Look Like

December 2, 2021 NRDC in ActionUnited States, IllinoisCourtney Lindwall

Here’s how a formidable clean energy coalition helped pass the most equitable climate legislation in the country—and developed a blueprint for other states to follow.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

How to Stop a Highway

November 19, 2021 DispatchHouston, Texas, United StatesTim Vanderpool

Houston activists fuel a growing movement to increasingly center environmental justice in infrastructure and protect urban neighborhoods from endlessly expanding road projects.

When Extreme Heat Hits India’s Slums, These Women Cool Things Down—and Save Lives

November 16, 2021 DispatchIndiaNicole Greenfield

Whether facing heat waves, water scarcity, or COVID-19, women-led networks in Ahmedabad are working together to keep their families and neighbors safe.

Here’s What’s Happening at COP26

November 13, 2021 Latest NewsInternational

We’re keeping track of the latest news from Glasgow as government and climate leaders hash out how to rein in runaway warming.

Will Los Angeles Finally Put an End to Oil Drilling in Neighborhoods?

November 12, 2021 DispatchLos AngelesNicole Greenfield

For close to a decade, the STAND-L.A. coalition has been calling on the city to stop extracting oil near homes and schools. Victory, at long last, is within reach.

Will COP26 Move Us Closer to Solving the Climate Crisis?

October 26, 2021 ExplainerInternational, United States

Leaders from across the globe will meet soon to accelerate actions to confront climate change. Here’s what to expect.

These Photographs Show How the Rising Sea Connects Us All

October 21, 2021 PerspectivesInternationalJeff Turrentine

In images both beautiful and disturbing, photographer Kadir van Lohuizen documents how sea level rise is altering coastlines—and lives—around the world.

Oysters: Raw Bar Delicacy or Climate Warrior?

October 18, 2021 DispatchNorth CarolinaJodi Helmer

The mighty bivalves are both, and this former schoolteacher and bartender seeks to inspire a new generation of aquaculturists while putting North Carolina oysters on the map.

Fighting Climate Change and Heatstroke One Home at a Time

October 4, 2021 DispatchVirginiaJodi Helmer

With their state’s joining of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Virginians are reaping the benefits of upgrades to their homes and quality of life.

Latina Farmworkers Speak Out about the Hazards of Life in California’s Fields

October 4, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

From farms to public hearings, the women of Líderes Campesinas are standing up against the pesticide exposure, COVID-19 risk, and other threats disproportionately impacting their community.

Through a Solar Transformation, a Former Landfill Is Poised to Become a Community Lifeline

September 28, 2021 DispatchHoustonMaudlyne Ihejirika

In Sunnyside, Houston—a neighborhood that recently registered the city’s highest unemployment rate—residents are preparing for an influx of jobs to come from the Sunnyside Energy Community Solar project.

The Mission to Save Florida’s Reefs

September 23, 2021 Latest NewsFloridaCourtney Lindwall

Here’s how a sweeping reef restoration plan in the Florida Keys hopes to transform an ecological disaster into a great American comeback story.

The Chlorpyrifos Ban Is a Win for Science—and Children

September 17, 2021 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

NRDC advocates and our partners spent decades fighting against a highly toxic pesticide that harms kids, farmworkers, and their families. In August, the EPA finally banned it.

Will Hawai‘i Show the Rest of the Nation the Way to Clean Up the Power Sector?

September 16, 2021 DispatchHawaiiD. W. Gibson

To help achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2045, the state’s electric utilities now need to take up climate action if they want to turn a profit.

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…