News & Commentary

Meet the activists and NRDC staff propelling change, read our expert analysis, and learn about the latest challenges and solutions to advancing a healthier, more sustainable, and equitable world.

Latest News

Stay on top of the latest research, policy updates, publication releases, and environmental news. 

Explainer

Get a breakdown of complex climate, public health, nature, and equity topics to inform your activism.

Dispatch

Read about activists tackling climate justice and other environmental causes in their communities and beyond.

Perspectives

Discover intersectional viewpoints from activists and artists on the environmental issues of the moment.

NRDC in Action

Find out how NRDC protects people and the planet by learning about some of our key fights.

Expert Blogs

Hear from our policy advocates, scientists, and litigators about the challenges and solutions for building a healthier and more just world.

Viewing 321 - 340 of 939

Illinois’ Recovery Starts with the Clean Energy Jobs Act

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
The Clean Energy Jobs Act is an essential part of Illinois’ economic recovery. It protects public health and creates good-paying jobs, while ensuring that the people most in need of good jobs and clean air are at the front of…

New Reports Show RGGI Protects Kids’ Health and Saves Money

Expert BlogEast, United StatesBruce Ho
Two new reports show the tremendous benefit of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)—a Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region power sector program—and how it’s paying dividends for the climate, children’s health, and families’ finances.

How to Plan for Equitable Energy Efficiency in a Pandemic

Expert BlogUnited StatesLara Ettenson
As the ongoing pandemic further exacerbates racial and economic disparities across America, it is important to examine whether programs aimed at helping utility customers cut energy waste are reaching everyone.

Trump Attacks on Energy Efficient Appliances Are Baseless

Expert BlogUnited StatesNoah Horowitz, Ed Osann
President Trump is attacking energy-efficient appliances, using a blend of exaggeration, falsehoods, and innuendo that ignores the huge savings in energy and money that efficiency standards are delivering to America’s homes and businesses.

Federal Energy Efficiency: Promoting Equity and the Planet

Expert BlogUnited StatesKhalil Shahyd, Lara Ettenson
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect low-income communities of color and threatens to plunge our economy deeper into a recession at a time when many families and communities are already struggling to meet basic needs. The federal government should…

California Moves Toward Smart and Efficient Water Heating

Expert BlogCalifornia, United StatesPierre Delforge
California has just adopted an energy code specification for grid-friendly and super-efficient water heaters that will help decarbonize buildings and the electric grid while saving Californians money on their utility bills.

China, Top Player in World A/C Market, Raises Efficiency Bar

Expert BlogChinaNoah Horowitz, Alex Hillbrand
China implemented one of the world’s most stringent energy efficiency requirements for room air conditioners today. The move by the globe’s largest buyer and manufacturer of these appliances will save huge amounts of carbon-intensive electricity, putting a formidable dent in…

Urban Innovator

NRDC in ActionCharlotte, North Carolina, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Paul, Minnesota, Austin, TexasKeith Mulvihill
Through her work in the buildings sector, Wendy Lee helps propel cities into a fairer and more energy-efficient future.

Don’t Forget Buildings in Infrastructure Investment

Expert BlogUnited StatesLauren Urbanek
There’s been a lot of talk recently about the need to invest in America’s infrastructure, and Congress is poised to consider H.R. 2, the Moving Forward Act. But what exactly is infrastructure? Most people probably think of it as roads…

How NRDC Is Making Green Building Accessible

Expert BlogUnited StatesMaria McCain
The NRDC Design and Construction Protocols is an open resource that puts sustainability and wellness in reach for all construction projects.

Energy Efficiency Reform Is Needed to Reach All Communities

Expert BlogUnited StatesLara Ettenson
As energy efficiency advocacy intersects housing, energy, and employment systems built on policies that disproportionately burden low-income people and communities of color, it’s important to ask: how are energy efficiency policies, programs, and processes perpetuating inequities from systemic racism and…

(Past) Time to Jump-Start Grid Planning

Expert BlogUnited StatesJohn Moore
The rapid growth in wind and solar power means we need to upgrade and expand the nation’s power grid. The grid’s current design grew from local power needs centered around fossil and nuclear plants located relatively close to towns and…

RI Report Mistakenly Recommends Insufficient Action

Expert BlogAlejandra Mejia Cunningham
Rhode Island is usually a clean energy leader and the state has already taken important initial steps to eliminate carbon emissions from its buildings. Unfortunately, a recent report on how Rhode Island should transform its heating industry could derail this…

San Luis Obispo Poised to Pursue Clean Energy Choice Policy

Expert BlogPierre Delforge
The city of San Luis Obispo, California, plans to consider final approval of a policy designed to encourage clean, efficient all-electric new buildings. The Clean Energy Choice for New Buildings program recognizes that pollution-free homes and businesses will be key…