News & Commentary

What Can Green Groups, Labor Unions, Veterans, and a Coal Mining Exec All Get Behind? Solar Power in Appalachian Ohio.

May 14, 2019 NRDC in ActionOhioCourtney Lindwall

Dan Sawmiller, NRDC’s Ohio energy policy director, forms unexpected alliances to build out renewables in the Buckeye State.

U.N. Report: A Million Extinctions and Ecological Collapse Are on the Way

May 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

We got ourselves into this mess. It’s high time we got ourselves out of it.

L.A. Takes a Fresh Look at Recycled Water

May 13, 2019 DispatchLos AngelesLauren Evans

Facing dwindling freshwater supplies, the city is ready to stop dumping millions of gallons into the Pacific—and to follow Orange County’s lead.

When Your Planet Calls 911

May 10, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The systems that allow life on earth to exist are breaking down. We’re responsible. But we also have the power to turn things around.

California Lunchrooms May Soon Serve Up Organics

May 7, 2019 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

A state bill promises organic food to students—and benefits for local farmers and farmworkers, too.

Trump Hatches a New Plan to Attack Science

May 3, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

In the administration’s ongoing war on environmental laws, the tactics can be subtle but the strategy is straightforward: Give corporate polluters every chance to fight the rules they don’t like.

How Do You ReGrow a Rainforest? Send in the Tapirs.

May 2, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

A new study shows that the Amazon’s largest land animals are exceptional at dispersing seeds.

Illinois: Fossil Fuel–Free by 2050?

May 1, 2019 DispatchIllinoisSusan Cosier

Two new bills could put the Prairie State on the path to 100 percent renewable energy within decades.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

In Hundreds of Vintage Postcards, Americana Meets the Apocalypse

April 23, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesPatrick Rogers

David Opdyke’s intricate panorama shows the country’s landscape ravaged by extractive industries and the politics of climate denial.

You Can’t Stop the Wind. But These Folks Are Trying Anyway.

April 19, 2019 Latest NewsTexasJeff Turrentine

In Texas, tax breaks for fossil fuels outpace tax breaks for renewables by a rate of two to one. Guess which sector is whining about unfairness?

Dragonflies Make Epic Migrations, but Climate Change Could Foil Their Itineraries

April 18, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

The insects fly up to 1,500 miles over the course of three generations, and all of this activity seems to be governed by temperature.

Albuquerque Is Wiring Up Millennials to Work With the Sun

April 15, 2019 DispatchAlbuquerque, New MexicoBecca Cudmore

With its plan to source all city energy needs from renewable power by 2022, Albuquerque, a winner of the Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, is also jump-starting its solar workforce.

Trump Is Trying to Stand in the Way of Electric Cars. They’re Breezing Right Past Him.

April 12, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

While the president mocks low-emission vehicles, the rest of the country is busy paving the way for their big day.

A New Climate Bill Aims to Hold the United States to Its Promises

April 10, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Because, no, President Trump cannot just ignore the Paris Agreement.

A Heat Wave in Australia Killed 23,000 Spectacled Flying Foxes

April 10, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

The die-off—which wiped out a third of the population of these large and endangered fruit bats—is not normal, but it may become so.

Could These Country Roads Be Toxic to Kids?

April 9, 2019 DispatchIowaSusan Cosier

A county in eastern Iowa has been replacing gravel with slag, a steel industry byproduct. It’s hard, sharp, and potentially a public health concern.

These Farmers Are Sowing Seeds of Diversity in the U.S. Food System (and Have Been for Quite Some Time)

April 8, 2019 DispatchGeorgiaRobynne Boyd

A movement to preserve the cultural heritage and organic practices of African American farmers is growing in the Southeast.

In “Hadestown,” the Coal-Fired Lights Are Bright on Broadway

April 2, 2019 PerspectivesUnited States, New York CityCourtney Lindwall

Director Rachel Chavkin’s musical about climate change is an infectious, bluesy trip to the underworld—that finds hope in the darkest of places.

Oil Companies Are Trying to Rebrand Themselves on Social Media

April 1, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

It’s almost as if they don’t want you to know how much they love oil.