News & Commentary

In the Face of a Winter Storm, Is Our Grid Reliable?

January 27, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Yes and no. Holiday power outages revealed weaknesses with fossil-based electricity, but solar and wind power came through in the clutch.

A Practical Climate Optimist

January 13, 2023 NRDC in ActionJeff Turrentine

Christy Goldfuss, NRDC’s new chief policy impact officer, believes setting the right goals gives people hope, agency, and the power to make things happen.

A Prosecutor Comes Home

January 12, 2023 NRDC in ActionUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

NRDC’s new chief program officer, Drew Caputo, has roots in the organization that go back decades, but his focus is squarely on the future.

In Colorado, Oil and PFAS Shouldn’t Mix

January 12, 2023 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

We can add PFAS contamination to the list of ways the oil and gas industry is threatening Coloradans’ health. Two new laws aim to stop it—but are they enough?

Colorado’s Religious Communities See Climate Action as a Moral Obligation

December 22, 2022 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

Whether fighting for clean air or affordable housing, several of the state’s faith leaders are uniting around the notion of protecting “home.”

How Green Banks Are Financing the Fight Against Climate Change

December 12, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalJeff Turrentine

Investing is risky business, but these institutions know that failing to fund clean energy is even riskier.

The United States Finally Joins a Global Climate Treaty That Phases Down HFCs

December 8, 2022 NRDC in ActionCourtney Lindwall

How NRDC leadership helped pass the Kigali Amendment and turn the tide on a common class of super-polluting refrigerant chemicals.

Climate Tipping Points Are Closer Than Once Thought

November 15, 2022 ExplainerInternational, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

Exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming could trigger several and lead to irreversible climate impacts.

When Climate Anxiety Makes for Great Art

November 15, 2022 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In “Evanston Salt Costs Climbing,” climate change is never mentioned, but it’s all anyone can think about.

Colorado River Basin Tribes Address a Historic Drought—and Their Water Rights—Head-On

November 14, 2022 DispatchColorado, Arizona, New MexicoTim Vanderpool

Their growing inclusion in the region’s water management will likely prove priceless.

Advocates Are Sparking a Revolution in Louisiana's “Cancer Alley”

November 10, 2022 DispatchSt. James Parish, LouisianaNicole Greenfield

Residents of St. James Parish are fighting to boot harmful petrochemical plants from this majority-Black community—and hoping to usher in more sustainable industries like solar.

Missing for a Century, the California Condor Flies Over Yurok Ancestral Lands Again

November 9, 2022 DispatchCalifornia, WestBecca Cudmore

The Yurok Tribe is helping to restore a sacred and endangered scavenger that is vital to Indigenous cultures and Pacific Coast ecosystems alike.

COP27: The Issues, the Tensions, and the Urgent Need for Unity on Climate

October 20, 2022 ExplainerInternationalJeff Turrentine

Here’s what to expect from the upcoming international climate change summit in Egypt.

A 22-Year Court Battle Ends with Justice for the Penobscot River

October 11, 2022 NRDC in ActionMaineNicole Greenfield

After more than a half century of toxic mercury contamination, Maine’s longest river is finally getting cleaned up—a major win for the public interest over corporate polluters.

And Now the Shade

October 6, 2022 PerspectivesUnited StatesRich Larson

A young bioengineer grappling with an existential challenge finds the answer in the dreams of her dying grandmother. A mesmerizing cli-fi story set in Mexico City, published by Fix, Grist’s solutions lab, with support from NRDC.

Mutual Aid and Disaster Justice: “We Keep Us Safe”

October 6, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Mississippi, FloridaNicole Greenfield

As climate-fueled disasters become more frequent—from Mississippi to Puerto Rico and beyond—relief efforts by communities, for communities, could become increasingly critical.

In the Melting Arctic, a Reckoning to Save Indigenous Culture, Narwhals, and a Silent Sea

September 22, 2022 DispatchArcticBill Donahue

As a mining company seeks to ship millions of tons more of iron ore through caribou and narwhal habitat, good science requires the input of the Inuit.

The Inflation Reduction Act Could Save Us Nearly $2 Trillion in Climate Costs

September 20, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

Public health, disaster relief, home energy bills—every way you slice it, spending goes down.

Reflections of a Chicago Community Organizer: Water Justice and the Need to Act Now

September 14, 2022 PerspectivesChicagoOscar Sanchez

During a trip to a water conference, an environmental justice activist considers what it takes to support his community without letting go of the importance of healing.

Midwest Heat Waves May Cook Crops—and Fry Harvests

September 12, 2022 DispatchMidwestSusan Cosier

Climate change–induced temperature extremes could wilt corn and soybean yields, potentially causing ripples to food supplies across the world.