News & Commentary

Happy 50th Birthday, EPA

December 2, 2020 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

We’ve seen you at your best and, currently, at your absolute worst. But things are looking up for you again—just when we need you the most.

An Ally in the Fight for Safe, Affordable Drinking Water for All

November 30, 2020 NRDC in ActionDetroit, Illinois, Flint, Chicago, MichiganNicole Greenfield

Detroit native Jeremy Orr combines his personal experience and community organizing roots with his legal expertise to help communities of color in Michigan and Illinois dismantle environmental racism.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Gross Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers

October 30, 2020 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

The ongoing health and safety failures at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, highlight an industry-wide truth: It’s production over people, even in a deadly pandemic.

Environmental Justice in Chicago: It’s Been One Battle After Another

October 29, 2020 PerspectivesChicagoKeith Mulvihill

Cheryl Johnson and Peggy Salazar have been speaking out against pollution and environmental injustice for decades, but the city of Chicago sees their South Side neighborhoods as sacrifice zones. They are demanding change.

These Farmer-Activists Are Fixing Our Racist and Unjust Food System

October 27, 2020 DispatchNew YorkNicole Greenfield

Black Farmer Fund is part of a collaboration of New York–based groups working to repair a system that has long discriminated against BIPOC farmers.

Wildfires Can Spark Widespread Contamination of Public Water Supplies

October 22, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesJodi Helmer

In communities devastated by fires, scientists have found extremely high levels of toxic chemicals, like benzene, in tap water.

Local Change Is Creating Big Impact

October 8, 2020 Latest NewsUnited States

A rundown of some of our most significant wins in communities across the country.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Solar Power After Hurricane María

September 30, 2020 PerspectivesPuerto RicoLaura Virella

We, the colonized of Puerto Rico, declare our inalienable rights to self-determination and survival.

Public Health Scientist and Advocate

September 17, 2020 NRDC in ActionIndia, Ahmedabad, Pune, United StatesKeith Mulvihill

Vijay Limaye is pushing for public health safeguards and policy solutions in service of the communities most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Katrina, Climate, and Justice: A Future in Foreshadow?

August 28, 2020 PerspectivesNew Orleans, LouisianaZaria Howell

After Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana just days before the Katrina remembrance, photojournalism from 15 years ago reminds us that disaster preparation isn’t just about wind and water.

Putting an End to “Colonial Science”

August 27, 2020 PerspectivesInternationalJeff Turrentine

The scientific community is starting to confront internal biases that support social stratification, hinder international cooperation, and—sometimes—impair research.

Mussels Help Keep Watch on Pollution in Puget Sound

August 20, 2020 DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan

The humble bivalves, which concentrate everything from heavy metals to cancer drugs in their tissues, provide an ideal way for scientists to monitor nearshore water health.

The Entrepreneurs Transforming Scraps Into a Fashion Statement

August 18, 2020 DispatchNew York CityLauren Evans

A new generation of designers and resource specialists is springing up around the textile waste created by the fashion industry—and taking it to market.

At 59 Million Tons, Our E-Waste Problem Is Getting Out of Control

July 24, 2020 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Every year, we blithely discard billions of phones, laptops, TVs, and other electronics that can end up poisoning communities around the world.

New York State Assembly Passes Ban on Toxic Teflon Chemicals in Food Packaging

July 23, 2020 Latest NewsNew YorkCourtney Lindwall

Most Americans already have detectable levels of PFAS in their blood. Prevention through protections like these are key.

The Deadly Chicago Heat Wave Is As Relevant to Racial Justice Today As It Was 25 Years Ago

July 15, 2020 PerspectivesChicagoKeala Uchoa

The documentary “Cooked: Survival by Zip Code” examines the unnatural disasters of environmental and structural racism.

Food Systems Analyst

July 14, 2020 NRDC in ActionBaltimore, Nashville, Denver, Maryland, Tennessee, ColoradoJeff Turrentine

Andrea Spacht Collins is working to minimize food waste by changing the way we think about what we eat—and what we don’t eat, where it comes from, and where it ends up.

Air Quality Is Worsening for Half of the World’s People

July 2, 2020 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows that most of us humans are likely inhaling more air pollution each year.

Dear Congress: If You Don’t Understand Climate Urgency, Let Us Draw You a Picture

June 30, 2020 PerspectivesUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

The illustrated letters of hundreds of young artists are demanding action on climate change in the hopes of helping shape the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fight for Equitable Access to Water and Electricity Has Never Been More Urgent

June 3, 2020 NRDC in ActionDetroit, Michigan, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

In the midst of a pandemic, NRDC advocates are stepping up their work to prevent the risk of mass utility shutoffs, now and for the long-term.