News & Commentary

Mapping Urban Heat Islands Is Helping These Neighborhoods Adapt

August 1, 2023 DispatchRaleigh, North Carolina, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

The Urban Heat Island mapping campaign is the largest national effort of its kind to identify why one section of a city can feel so different from another on any given summer day.

Community Science Is Changing How People Can Fight Pollution

May 23, 2023 PerspectivesHouston, Texas, St. Louis, Missouri, Chicago, IllinoisCourtney Lindwall

Grassroots groups are collecting their own pollution data to increase accountability and demand environmental justice.

Making Electric Vehicle Charging More Equitable Is Key to Our Clean Vehicle Future

May 23, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Recent federal funding as well as targeted policies and programs can help ensure public charging is accessible for all.

Shared Knowledge Is Power in the Northern Mariana Islands

May 22, 2023 DispatchInternationalShelia Hu

As Indigenous groups seek to comanage the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, elders help the next generation find opportunity on the islands in science and conservation. 

A Climate Strategy for India Scales Up

May 22, 2023 NRDC in ActionIndiaJeff Turrentine

With the formation of its affiliate in New Delhi, NRDC rises to meet the sustainability challenges of the world's fastest-growing economy.

These 5 Animals Would Be Goners Without the Endangered Species Act

May 4, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalJason Bittel

They’re just a handful of the hundreds of species that would be extinct without the 50-year-old law.

Under “Food Apartheid,” Urban Farms Are More Important Than Ever

April 28, 2023 DispatchUnited States, Indiana, IndianapolisJeff Turrentine

But BIPOC urban farmers continue to face unique challenges—including inequitable access to land and loans.

Failing to Meet Our Climate Goals Is Not an Option

April 26, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

There’s more than one way the United States can nullify its climate emissions by 2050, but these strategies would make the journey a lot easier. 

Our Nation—and Its National Parks—Has a Smog Problem

April 21, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJason Bittel

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules to address air pollution. But experts worry it’s not enough.

Why the Electric Vehicle Revolution Can Benefit Everyone

April 18, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

The mainstreaming of EVs will impact everything from the air you breathe to the money you save, even if you don’t drive one. 

California’s Climate Whiplash

April 17, 2023 ExplainerCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

The state broke snowfall records after three of its driest years ever. Now floods wreak havoc. These swings are the new normal—and they’re very hard to manage.

Poets Imagine a Different Climate Narrative

March 30, 2023 PerspectivesUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Sean Hill, Jane Wong

Three writers counter despair and summon courage in facing the challenges of our warming world.

The Lower Klamath River Will Soon Flow Freely Again

March 21, 2023 DispatchCalifornia, WestNicole Greenfield

Sparking hope for the West’s rivers and beyond, a decades-long battle leads to the world’s biggest dam removal project.

A Chemist Turned Community Builder

March 10, 2023 NRDC in ActionUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Dr. Ticora V. Jones, the new head of NRDC’s Science Office, seeks to deepen the role of science across the organization and beyond. 

Mining for Limestone on Chicago’s Southeast Side? Residents Gear Up for a Fight (Again).

February 17, 2023 DispatchIllinois, ChicagoSusan Cosier

A proposal to build an underground facility on a contaminated lot is yet another reason the city needs to address the cumulative impacts of industry on communities.

Crushing Alaska’s Pebble Mine

February 13, 2023 NRDC in ActionAlaskaNicole Greenfield, Jeff Turrentine

The EPA’s decision to veto the project is fantastic news—but the fight to save Bristol Bay isn’t over yet.

New York Is Exposing the Fashion Industry for What It Is: a Climate Nightmare

February 13, 2023 DispatchNew York City, InternationalNicole Greenfield

The state’s Fashion Act seeks to set a new trend of holding big brands accountable for their exploitation of workers and the environment.

A Once-Thriving Black-Owned Beach Is Returned to Its Rightful Owners

February 10, 2023 DispatchLos AngelesCourtney Lindwall

The victory at California’s Bruce’s Beach, improperly seized 100 years ago, has reignited the conversation around land restitution for Black Americans.

What Is Greenwashing?

February 9, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalCourtney Lindwall

How this misleading marketing practice impacts consumers and communities and stands in the way of real environmental progress.

Public Lands Are Not Neutral. We Must Grapple with Their Racist Roots.

February 2, 2023 PerspectivesUnited StatesCarolyn Ramírez

Green spaces should feel like everyone’s backyard.