News & Commentary

The Virus Hunter

February 22, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesPerrin Ireland

Scientists aren’t certain why Zika has become a pandemic, but humans probably played a part.

Lead by the Numbers

February 18, 2016 ExplainerFlint, Michigan, United StatesNicole Greenfield

This Harper’s-inspired index on lead puts the Flint Water Crisis into new perspective.

Skinflints

February 17, 2016 Latest NewsFlintJeff Turrentine

The crisis in Flint reveals the dangerous downside of treating public safety as just another line item.

Go Easy on the Salt

February 11, 2016 ExplainerFlint, Michigan, United StatesBrian Palmer

But it’s still worth asking why Flint River water is so corrosive in the first place. What made the water so efficient at stripping lead from service pipes?

Drinking In the Heavy Metal

February 8, 2016 DispatchFlint, MichiganSusan Cosier

Thanks to the Flint water crisis, the city’s kids could experience terrible, long-lasting consequences from lead exposure.

Of Monkeys, Men, and Protozoans

January 28, 2016 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

A recent study finds a link between deforestation and risk of monkey-transmitted malaria.

Watered Down

January 26, 2016 Latest NewsFlintBrian Palmer

Flint made many mistakes, but its haphazard lead monitoring system was the worst of them.

What’s In Your Pajamas?

January 21, 2016 PerspectivesUnited StatesRocky Kistner

A new film follows a father on his quest to uncover the industrial chemicals his daughters encounter via everyday products.

The Fight Against Flame Retardants

January 18, 2016 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaAlexandra Zissu

Thanks to a long-overdue regulatory update and a new labeling law, shoppers can finally find safer furniture.

Toxin Avenger

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesSarah Engler

By following hundreds of children from the womb through adolescence, Dr. Frederica Perera has become a public-health superhero.

Growing Green Awards

January 18, 2016 DispatchUnited StatesMelissa Denchak

Celebrating America’s most influential leaders in the sustainable food movement

How California Will Weather Drought

January 5, 2016 ExplainerCalifornia, United States, West

Researchers outline four key actions the Golden State must take to ensure there's enough water to go around.

Fixing the Fashion Industry

January 5, 2016 NRDC in ActionChinaSarah Murray

The overseas textile mills that make our clothes are incredibly wasteful and polluting. NRDC's Clean by Design program is changing that.

The Dirty Fight Over Canadian Tar Sands Oil

December 31, 2015 NRDC in ActionCanada, United StatesMelissa Denchak

For more than a decade, we've fought to keep this filthy fossil fuel from being dredged up and piped through the United States.

Busting the Mold

December 31, 2015 NRDC in ActionNew York City, New YorkSarah Engler

A landmark class-action lawsuit settlement has 400,000 New York City public housing residents breathing easier.

5 Ways Building Up the San Joaquin River Has Helped California

December 31, 2015 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaLora Shinn

An NRDC lawsuit has led to the comeback of the Golden State’s second-largest river (and its salmon).

The Most Eye-Opening Stories of 2015

December 28, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesClara Chaisson

Ten environmental visuals from this year that deserve another look.

Flexibility Test

December 23, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, New JerseyElizabeth Royte

Plastic-pouch food packaging is showing up everywhere—except at recycling facilities.

Stop, Drop, and Roll

December 9, 2015 DispatchChicagoSusan Cosier

Every week, barrels upon barrels of volatile crude oil crisscross Chicago by rail, endangering tens of thousands of schoolkids.

There’s No Such Thing as a Climate Change Refugee

November 16, 2015 ExplainerInternationalBrian Palmer

But there ought to be.