News & Commentary

A Roadmap for Frontline Communities

December 15, 2019 NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., United StatesJeff Turrentine

To address the growing climate impacts on low-income people and communities of color, NRDC signed on to a historic platform that seeks to create a future that benefits all.

Why the EPA Needs Another William Ruckelshaus (1932–2019)

December 13, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The agency’s first administrator built the EPA from scratch—and established the nonpartisan, antipolluter culture that the Trump administration has all but abandoned.

A New Deal for the Okapi, Africa’s “Unicorn”

December 13, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

How protecting the okapi could bring income, sanitation, health services, and security to a remote area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Great Lakes Levels Are Rising—a Sign of Things to Come?

December 13, 2019 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Stronger storms and harsher cold snaps could mean more dramatic ups and downs for lake levels in the future.

Charlotte Is on Its Way to Becoming a Modern Transit Hub

December 11, 2019 DispatchCharlotte, North CarolinaJodi Helmer

The North Carolina city knows that as it grows, its residents will need (and want) to get out of their cars and catch the nearest bus, train, or streetcar.

The Cli-Fi Genre Gives Us a Peek at Planet Earth in 2040

December 6, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In the latest issue of the literary quarterly McSweeney’s, 10 short-story writers imagine what the world might look like in 20 years without effective climate action.

Think You Know What Water Looks Like? Take a Look at This.

December 5, 2019 PerspectivesArcticAlisa Opar

Photographer Roger Fishman goes airborne to capture a unique perspective on rapidly changing Arctic landscapes.

Fighting the Tide of Watered Down Justice

December 4, 2019 NRDC in ActionFlint, Michigan, Newark, New JerseyNicole Greenfield

Nearly three years after winning a $97 million legal settlement that required the city of Flint to replace its lead water service lines, NRDC is still on the ground holding officials accountable, and using similar tactics as we demand clean…

Corporate Leaders to Trump: Withdrawing From the Paris Agreement Makes Bad Business Sense

November 26, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Thousands of companies are stepping up where the president has stepped down—to save the planet along with their profits.

Parks Are Good—but They Can (and Should) Be Better

November 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

At their best, urban green spaces have the power to restore our weary souls—and maybe even to curb sprawl. Why do we so often treat them like civic afterthoughts?

The Surprise Middleman in the Illegal Shark Fin Trade: The United States

November 20, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

A new report finds that huge shipments of shark fins are smuggled through U.S. ports on the way to their final destinations.

Preserving Dead Parrots in Order to Save the Living

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

The people of Papua New Guinea treasure feathers from the Pesquet’s parrot for use in ceremonial headdresses. But the practice could be driving the birds to extinction.

The EPA Says It Wants “Scientific Transparency.” What It Really Wants Is Control Over Research.

November 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A newly proposed rule would let Andrew Wheeler decide what kind of science is—and isn’t—allowed to inform our country’s public health protections.

The Story of a Normal Car Factory: Abandoned by Gas Guzzlers, Soon to Be Buzzing With Electric Vehicles

November 13, 2019 DispatchIllinoisSusan Cosier

In Normal, Illinois, green startup Rivian plans to produce 100,000 delivery vans for Amazon, along with hundreds of jobs.

On California’s Fires, More Smoke and Mirrors From Trump

November 8, 2019 Latest NewsCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

While the state smoldered, the president lashed out at Governor Newsom—and completely ignored the role played by climate change.

Indiana Dunes Finally Gets Its Due, but Conservationists Are Clamoring for More

November 7, 2019 DispatchIndianaSusan Cosier

After a century of advocacy, the Hoosier State has a national park, and its immense popularity is making a case for more protected lakeshore.

Missoula, Montana, Proves That Tackling Car Culture Isn’t Just for Big-City Slickers

November 5, 2019 DispatchMontanaAlisa Opar

The streets are hardly choked with traffic, but this Northern Rockies locale sees plenty of other good reasons to get more of its commuters out from behind the wheel.

The Faces of Trump and Putin, Stenciled in Smog

November 1, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesSusan Cosier

From Chicago to Moscow, this artistic collaboration puts climate change on display—and world leaders on notice.

IEA: Renewable Energy Has Winning Potential

November 1, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The International Energy Agency says solar is about to boom (some more) and offshore wind farms could power the whole world—18 times over! If we let them, that is.

Needing Water, Georgia Stirs Up a 200-Year-Old Dispute With Its Northern Neighbor

October 29, 2019 DispatchGeorgiaAustyn Gaffney

As droughts parch the Southeast, interstate squabbles heat up over the Tennessee River (and the Chattahoochee . . . and the Flint . . . and the Apalachicola).