News & Commentary

Industry Surrounds Newark’s Ironbound Neighborhood—But These Residents Won’t Let It Define Them

April 1, 2019 DispatchNewark, New JerseyCaroline Craig

The tireless efforts of locals are reshaping one of New Jersey’s most polluted areas.

There Are Thousands of Reasons to Love Flies. Chocolate Is Just One.

March 28, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJason Bittel

The world’s flies pollinate plants, manage waste, feed the masses, and deserve a little respect (and protection).

A Patchwork of Imagery Hints at the Hidden Complexity of the American Prairie

March 27, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesClara Chaisson

After years of documenting industrial landscapes, photographer Terry Evans returns to her first muse: North America’s grasslands.

Ohio Gains Ground on a Hidden Hazard: More Than a Century’s Worth of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

March 26, 2019 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Forgotten, derelict, and often leaky, these so-called orphan wells could number in the thousands.

A Journey Through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 22, 2019 DispatchArctic, AlaskaClara Chaisson

One of the world’s last pristine wild places is on the front lines of climate change—and threatened by fossil fuel development. These photos speak to why we must fight both.

Is High-Speed Rail on the Rocks?

March 22, 2019 PerspectivesUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

California’s proposed bullet train is in trouble, while a Texas project is meeting resistance. What’s going on?

Rue Mapp Wants Outdoor Enthusiasts to Look More Like the Rest of America

March 21, 2019 DispatchUnited StatesKaren L. Smith-Janssen

By helping African Americans connect with one another on the trail, the founder of the nonprofit Outdoor Afro is building a broader community in nature and changing the face of her field.

A Fracking Boom Ransacks the Four Corners

March 20, 2019 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

Native American activists in northwest New Mexico are putting up a firm resistance as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management hands over their homeland to allies in the oil and gas industry.

Overcoming an Industrial Legacy in L.A.’s Pacoima District

March 18, 2019 DispatchLos AngelesCorey Binns

Local environmental justice groups get a boost from the city’s Clean Up Green Up policy, which brings green zoning to three heavily polluted communities.

Some Carmakers Put Their Faith in the Trump Administration. It’s Costing Them.

March 15, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

They thought the president might ease up a little on federal fuel-efficiency standards. They didn’t expect him to be so reckless.

Montana’s Wildlife Needs Safer Crosswalks

March 13, 2019 DispatchMontanaLora Shinn

A push for more animal bridges and overpasses is aimed at reducing the number of collisions between vehicles and wildlife.

Monarch Butterflies Get a Head Start in the Schoolyard

March 12, 2019 NRDC in ActionGeorgiaCourtney Lindwall

NRDC joins with Monarch Watch to distribute free milkweed plants to schools across the country and turn students into butterfly gardeners.

Has Climate Gentrification Hit Miami? The City Plans to Find Out.

March 11, 2019 DispatchMiamiRobynne Boyd

As the sea rises, low-income neighborhoods on high land are starting to feel squeezed out.

The Youth Climate Strike Is Exactly What the Planet Needs Right Now

March 8, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

On March 15, students around the world will walk out of their schools and speak as one, demanding climate action—and our attention.

These Insta-Famous Otters Are Disappearing Quickly

March 7, 2019 Latest NewsInternationalJason Bittel

Two struggling species don’t need “likes”; they need protection from the pet trade, poaching, and habitat loss. And they might just get it.

How the Dairy Industry Is Fouling the Drinking Water of These Wisconsinites

March 6, 2019 DispatchWisconsinAustyn Gaffney

With the manure of one mega-dairy already contaminating the water supply and another operation on the drawing board, Central Sands residents have had enough.

From Egyptian Tombs to Toxic Corn, There’s More to Environmental Art Than What You See

March 5, 2019 PerspectivesMainePatrick Rogers

A sweeping exhibition of 2,000 years of artworks at Bowdoin College in Maine challenges viewers to reconsider the relationship between art and nature.

Portland Makes Strides to Cut Emissions and Move Beyond Four Wheels

March 4, 2019 DispatchPortland (Oregon)Becca Cudmore

The Rose City, a winner of the American Cities Climate Challenge, will reduce emissions as it revamps its transportation system—part of a new strategic plan called Central City in Motion.

Trump’s Pick to Lead His New Climate Change Panel Says CO2 Has Been “Demonized”

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The appointment of William Happer shows that as public opinion and government reports increasingly back climate science, deniers (including the president) are getting desperate.

Army Corps Releases a Slapdash Environmental Review of Alaska’s Pebble Mine

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

But the proposed gold and copper mine’s catastrophic threats to the waterways, salmon, and people of Bristol Bay haven’t changed.