News & Commentary

Marked for Death?

May 1, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study examines the historic risk factors for extinction.

Demand for Sustainable Seafood—Gone Overboard?

April 30, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Consumers want more than fisheries can supply, and certification standards are falling.

Dirty Departed

April 29, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Dear coal industry, stop reminiscing over outdated power plants. They’re holding you—and us—back.

Supersize Bee

April 22, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows that bees prefer pesticide-laced junk food that hastens their death.

Swamped by Global Warming

April 22, 2015 Latest NewsFloridaBrian Palmer

On Earth Day, President Obama calls on us to save the Everglades from myriad problems—but climate should be the first one on the list.

The Black Death

April 20, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Does coal have a future in the United States?

Save the Very Hungry Caterpillars

April 16, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Common insecticides are killing monarch butterfly larvae, says a USDA study.

Climate Change Vs. the Blob

April 14, 2015 Latest NewsCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A new study says a stubborn blob of warm ocean water is exacerbating the California drought.

Climate Change Denial 101

April 13, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

An online course teaches students how to debate climate change deniers (and win).

How Much Oil?

April 10, 2015 ExplainerInternationalBrian Palmer

Experts still don’t agree on the amount of oil that gushed into the Gulf—but everyone knows it was a lot.

First, the Good News

April 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A new study shows simple fishing restrictions can bring coral reefs back to life—but only if we stop emitting so much carbon dioxide.

America’s Best Idea, Executed Poorly

April 9, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

A study says that if we want to prevent extinction, we’re protecting the wrong areas of the country. Can't we do both?

Strike Three for Tar Sands Pipelines?

April 6, 2015 Latest NewsCanadaBrian Palmer

Canada’s Energy East pipeline is in big trouble, just like Keystone XL and Northern Gateway.

There Goes the Neighborhood

April 2, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

How humans use land is dramatically decreasing biodiversity worldwide.

A Silent Victory

April 1, 2015 NRDC in ActionHawaii, United StatesBrian Palmer

A federal judge stands up to the noisy navy for the sake of marine mammals.

The Dog Ate My Emissions Target

March 31, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalBrian Palmer

The United States and Mexico meet the deadline for their carbon pollution goals. Will others follow?

Offshore-Drilling Safety Gets an F

March 31, 2015 ExplainerInternationalBrian Palmer

Congress has failed to implement rules that could prevent another disaster.

Just the Right Absorbency

March 30, 2015 Latest NewsInternationalBrian Palmer

Tampons—yes, tampons—can solve one of the United Kingdom’s biggest sewage problems.

An Argument of Degree

March 27, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

An IPCC author assails the two-degree target as scientifically bankrupt and geographically biased.

Out of Control from the Moment of the Blowout

March 27, 2015 PerspectivesLouisianaBrian Palmer

Former offshore drilling regulator Liz Birnbaum talks about what went wrong in the Gulf (and why drilling the Atlantic is a bad idea).