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Aerial view of the National Petroleum Reserve in northwestern Alaska

The Biden Administration Protects Millions of Acres of Arctic Alaska

Latest NewsAlaskaJenny Shalant
The new Special Areas Rule in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska could boost biodiversity and empower Indigenous Peoples to defend the lands they’ve relied on for generations.
Two adults and a child walk along a sandy shoreline

“Forever Chemicals” Called PFAS Show Up in Your Food, Clothes, and Home

ExplainerUnited StatesMolly M. Ginty, Courtney Lindwall
These toxic chemicals are so common in consumer products and manufacturing that they’re everywhere—including inside our bodies.
A river with green trees on either side, with yellow hills in the background

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool
Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

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International Trade: A Policy Tool for Climate Action?

Expert BlogUnited StatesChristina Theodoridi, Jackie Wong

Recently introduced Democrat and Republican bills propose tariffs at the border for widely traded products with high greenhouse gas emissions intensity.

U.S. Joins Crucial Kigali Agreement Phasing Down HFCs

Expert BlogInternational, United StatesDavid Doniger, Christina Theodoridi

The Senate gave the green light today for the U.S. to ratify the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the most effective environmental treaty ever. Kigali is a global agreement to phase down potent climate pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)…

Don’t Let Refrigerants Slow Heating Decarbonization

Expert BlogUnited StatesPierre Delforge, Christina Theodoridi

While it’s true that current refrigerants have climate impacts when they leak into the air, the net climate benefit of heat pump heaters and water heaters is clear even today, and it will get even better every year.

Senate to Consider Kigali Amendment Ratification

Expert BlogUnited States, InternationalChristina Theodoridi

The White House today sent the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, the treaty to phase down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), to the Senate for its advice and consent to U.S. ratification.

Climate-Friendlier A/Cs and Other Products Are on the Way

Expert BlogUnited StatesChristina Theodoridi

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it’s moving forward with proposals to speed the transition away from super-pollutant hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) in refrigeration, air conditioners, heat pumps, insulation, and aerosols where climate-friendlier alternatives are available.

EPA Moves Fast to Curb HFCs

Expert BlogUnited StatesChristina Theodoridi, Alex Hillbrand, David Doniger

The benefits of the new rule are huge, and it’s a significant step toward President Biden’s goal of cutting U.S. climate pollution by 50-52 percent by the end of this decade. But there’s plenty of work left to do.

The Unexpectedly Exciting World of Refrigerants

Expert BlogInternationalChristina Theodoridi

Cooling equipment packs a potent climate threat: invisible refrigerant gases that leak into the atmosphere during the equipment’s operating lifetime. The very chemicals that will help billions of people adapt to extreme heat are themselves driving the climate crisis. 

Proposed AIM Act Rule Had its First EPA Public Hearing

Expert BlogUnited StatesAlex Hillbrand, Christina Theodoridi

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a public hearing last week on their first rule to implement the phasedown of super climate pollutants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). The takeaway: There’s strong stakeholder support for phasing out HFCs but several technical…

Washington State Amps Up Controls on HFC Emissions

Expert BlogWashingtonChristina Theodoridi

Ambitious new law in Washington sets a maximum limit—or, global warming potential (GWP), threshold on the HFCs used in stationary air conditioning and refrigeration, and mandates that a refrigerant management program be created to combat HFC releases from large existing…

AIM Act Allies Press EPA to Move Industries Beyond HFCs

Expert BlogUnited StatesDavid Doniger, Alex Hillbrand, Christina Theodoridi
NRDC and other environmental, state, and industry organizations called on the EPA to ban the super climate pollutants called hydrofluorocarbons from key applications where climate-friendlier alternatives are readily available.