News & Commentary

The Warning Lights Are Flashing for California’s Once-Glorious Salton Sea

August 6, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaStarre Vartan

Since this giant salty lake in the desert lost its water supply, its bird habitat has been shrinking and more toxic dust is wafting up from its dry lake bed. Can the Salton Sea be saved?

California Is Getting Tough on Wildlife Crime

August 1, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

In a new forensics lab, state agents test samples of blood, saliva, tusks, and feathers in a quest to stem the illegal trade in exotic animal parts.

In These Brightly Colored Landscapes, the Sharp Edges of Industry Collide with Nature’s Curves

July 31, 2018 PerspectivesCalifornia, United StatesPatrick Rogers

Judith Belzer’s oil paintings of bridges, dams, canals, and ports both romanticize and question humanity’s efforts to tame our natural systems.

California Hasn’t Come Clean About Its Water Use During the Drought

July 11, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

Farms drink up a majority of the state’s water supply, but the details are murky. Most of the largest irrigation districts aren’t reporting how much water they delivered to farmers.

A Commitment to Equity—in the City, the Classroom, and Even the Jungle

June 12, 2018 NRDC in ActionCalifornia, San FranciscoNicole Greenfield

NRDC senior scientist Lara Ettenson is determined to bridge social, economic, and cultural divides by advancing clean energy in California.

Cities: Where the Wild Things Are

May 18, 2018 PerspectivesLos Angeles, United StatesJeff Turrentine

Urban wildlife isn’t in our backyard. We’re in its front yard.

Can I Participate in a Class-Action Lawsuit Against Climate Change Inaction?

May 16, 2018 ExplainerUnited States, California

NRDC senior attorney Ben Longstreth explains how plaintiffs for these cases get chosen—and how you can help advance the cause in or out of the courtroom.

In California, a Rallying Cry Against Offshore Oil

May 14, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

As Californians protest the Trump administration’s intent to expand drilling off the Pacific coast, some city and state officials consider new legislation to block it.

Threats to Monarch Butterflies

May 3, 2018 ExplainerMexico, United States, Canada, California

Famous for their elegant colors and transcontinental feats of migration, these beloved pollinators are also in free fall, as habitat loss and heavy use of herbicides jeopardize their future.

Saving Science in the Age of Trump

April 17, 2018 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

The current administration’s suppression of data and information is unprecedented. But so are NRDC’s efforts to combat it.

Why Women Rule NRDC’s Science Center

March 27, 2018 NRDC in ActionSan Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York City, Ahmedabad, India, United StatesJenny Shalant

And why female leaders tend to be more attuned to issues of environmental equity.

Climate Change on Trial in Federal Court

March 16, 2018 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

California cities square off against oil companies in a debate over who’s to blame for a warming planet.

Liza Ryan’s Altered Images Summon the Terrible Beauty of Antarctica

February 28, 2018 PerspectivesLos AngelesPatrick Rogers

The artist’s journey south changed her way of seeing, and thinking about, a continent under siege.

Could Our Farms Become the World’s Great Untapped Carbon Sink?

January 26, 2018 DispatchCaliforniaJohn J. Berger

Carbon farming, an agricultural movement taking root in Northern California, aims to improve the soil and help stabilize the climate.

Buy Cleaning Products? A New Law Has Your Back

November 27, 2017 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

Manufacturers will soon have to disclose what’s in the bottle—including toxic chemicals long omitted from packaging labels.

An Environmental Justice Advocate’s L.A. Story

October 17, 2017 DispatchLos AngelesCarmen Cusido

Dr. Michael Anthony Mendez on the subject of his new book, Climate Change from the Streets, and the readiness of Latinos to act on climate and justice.

Mass Transit: The Crucial Ingredient in the Recipe for a Boomtown

September 22, 2017 PerspectivesCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

How a single light-rail stop transformed a sleepy L.A. suburb into a vibrant, buzzing business hub.

When a Wildfire Raged Outside L.A., These Biologists Went on a Rescue Mission—for a Fish

August 31, 2017 Latest NewsCaliforniaJason Bittel

After surviving last summer’s Sand Fire, endangered sticklebacks are getting cozy in their new forest.

Can Los Angeles Break the Olympics’ Environmental Curse?

August 11, 2017 Latest NewsLos AngelesJeff Turrentine

Olympic host cities often come to regret their moment in the sun. But 10 years should be just enough time for L.A. to get things right.

Farms on the Fringe: New Takes on America’s Farming Tradition

August 1, 2017 DispatchCalifornia, Colorado, Iowa, New York, Kentucky, New MexicoTracie McMillan

These six farmers have found innovative ways to grow plants in today’s climate, whether in corn country or coal country, with fish tanks or smartphones.