News & Commentary

Lithium Mining Is Leaving Chile’s Indigenous Communities High and Dry (Literally)

April 26, 2022 DispatchChileNicole Greenfield

As the metal fuels the clean tech boom, companies race to mine the Atacama Region. At stake: fragile ecosystems, scarce water resources, and ancient ways of life.

Demystifying Energy Code Development

April 18, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalLauren Urbanek

Building code development looks a lot different this year than it has in the past. Here is a breakdown of how things are going.

New Study Shows Benefits to Building Owners and Society

April 14, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesLauren Urbanek

Building electrification and decarbonization policies are being discussed by cities and states as well as in boardrooms across the country.

Biden Administration Takes Important Step in Buying Clean

April 6, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesSasha Stashwick

The Government Services Administration will set a new standard for contractors to use low embodied carbon concrete, and new standards for environmentally preferable asphalt—part of a federal Buy Clean policy to reduce industrial emissions via public procurement.

Gas Price Relief Shouldn’t Only Be for Drivers

March 23, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaVictoria Rome

NRDC stands ready to work on policies that mitigate price spikes while advancing transportation alternatives, reducing air pollution, and supporting the most vulnerable Californians.

Clean Transportation in PA: Big Questions for 2022 (Part 3)

March 18, 2022 Expert BlogPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaRabi Abonour, Kathy Harris, Mark Szybist

Pennsylvania's transit systems are at a turning point and the state must act to support a more sustainable future.

U.S. Cities Take Action to Reduce Wasted Food

March 10, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesNina Sevilla

Food Waste Action Week aims to raise awareness about the impact that food waste has on our wallets, communities, and climate.

Why Does California Keep Building Freeways in a Climate Crisis?

March 9, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaCarter Rubin

The latest research calls for the urgent need to shift the state’s transportation funding priorities away from highways and towards sustainable mobility.

Climate Report Confirms Housing Is Essential to Adaptation

March 4, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalSam Whillans

The latest report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) confirms what housing advocates and activists have long known: healthy, decent, affordable, sustainable housing must be at the core of the climate transition.

The Climate Math of Home Heating Electrification

March 3, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesAlex Hillbrand, Pierre Delforge

A new study shows that a typical U.S. home can cut its heating-related climate pollution by 45 percent to 72 percent by swapping out a gas-fired furnace for an efficient, all-electric heat pump.

IPCC: Sea Level Rise Adaptation Is Essential, Not Optional

February 28, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalRob Moore

Climate change has already locked in almost a foot of sea level rise by 2050 and more in the decades beyond. All levels of government in the United States need to recognize the peril they face and act accordingly.

Developer Withdraws Casitas Project in Win for L.A. River

February 22, 2022 Expert BlogLos AngelesDamon Nagami

The proposed luxury lofts did not provide nearly enough affordable housing to address the city’s affordability crisis. 

TECH Clean California: $120M in Good News for the Climate

February 16, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaKiki Velez, Merrian Borgeson

The recent launch of TECH Clean California represents a significant milestone in the effort to equitably decarbonize California’s buildings in line with our pressing climate goals. What’s in the $120 million program, and how can Californians take advantage TECH's electrification…

Let Us Breathe! A Vision for a Healthy Oxnard

February 10, 2022 Expert BlogCaliforniaNatalia Ospina, Heather Kryczka

Learn how an industrial project threatens a community-led vision for health and justice in a coastal California community, and support residents by submitting a comment letter by Feb. 14th.

One Year After Hunger Strike to Stop General Iron

February 8, 2022 Expert BlogChicagoGina Ramirez

This time last year, Chicago Southeast Siders vowed not to eat until the city denied a permit for General Iron. Now it’s time to deny the permit.

MI’s Climate Plan Must Deliver Affordable, Efficient Homes

February 3, 2022 Expert BlogMichiganValeria Rincon, Sam Whillans, Laura Goldberg

The Michigan Healthy Climate Plan includes notable recommendations to reduce emissions but it simply does not go far enough in focus and ambition.

Infrastructure Law Is a Chance to Build with Clean Materials

February 2, 2022 Expert BlogUnited StatesDeron Lovaas, Sasha Stashwick

Secretary Buttigieg must not overlook the opportunity to pair billions in infrastructure investments with programs to purchase low carbon construction materials—building railways, roads, and bridges with cleaner concrete, cement, and steel.

Michigan's Climate Plan

January 31, 2022 Expert BlogMichiganDerrell E. Slaughter

It is going to take all of us to engage in solving the climate crisis. We here in Michigan now have a great opportunity to be part of the solution. Don’t wait: Weigh in on MI Healthy Climate Plan today!

New Report: Pathways to Net-Zero for New Mexico’s Economy

January 24, 2022 Expert BlogNew MexicoJacqueline Ennis, Noah Long

Achieving the state’s near and long-term climate goals will depend on New Mexico’s leaders undertaking ambitious and timely action in the upcoming legislative session.

Rich, Polluting Nations Still Owe the Developing World

January 22, 2022 ExplainerInternationalCourtney Lindwall

Here’s why follow-through on a $100 billion–per–year climate finance promise, from collecting data to determining success, remains complex but critical.