News & Commentary

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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.

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Nurses Wanted in a City Long Plagued by Coal Plant Pollution

DispatchPeoriaMaudlyne Ihejirika
Through efforts to train a more diverse pool of nurses and create family-sustaining careers, workforce leaders in Peoria, Illinois, are jump-starting their economy and addressing the inequities of the past.

The Unlikely Takedown of Keystone XL

NRDC in ActionNebraska, South Dakota, Canada, MontanaCourtney Lindwall
The notorious tar sands pipeline was a lightning rod in the fight against climate change and the seemingly unstoppable oil industry. NRDC advocates were part of a broad coalition that helped stop Keystone XL—for good.

Blackfeet Nation Is Taking Back the Food System

DispatchMontanaNicole Greenfield
A tribal-led plan to build a meat-processing facility on the Blackfeet Nation reservation in Montana will help invigorate the local economy, safeguard cultural traditions, and protect community health and the environment.

Putting Pembroke’s Priorities Above a Gas Giveaway

Expert BlogIllinoisAmulya Yerrapotu

Nicor Gas is currently pushing a gas line extension bill to foist costly and dangerous fossil fuel energy onto Pembroke—one of Illinois’s last remaining historical Black farming communities—for decades to come.

P&G and its Suppliers’ Words Undercut FSC

Expert BlogUnited States, CanadaCourtenay Lewis, Shelley Vinyard

The collaboratively-established Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is widely considered by to be the strongest forest certification body in Canada. While FSC is not perfect, it is far superior to its key competitor, the industry-created Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), which has…

A New Customer Bill of Rights: Affordable Utility Services

Expert BlogIllinois, United StatesDeron Lovaas, Larry Levine
The vital need for uninterrupted utility service was evident before the coronavirus pandemic, but the COVID-19 public health emergency has reinforced the essential nature of utility service and the threats of energy and water poverty.

Chicago Lays Out New Green Recovery Priorities on COVID-19

Expert BlogChicago, IllinoisStefan Schaffer
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a series of environmental priorities aligned with a “Green Recovery,” a significant step toward reducing the city’s reliance on fossil fuels and creating more equitable economic opportunities in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada’s Forward Step on Climate Falls Short

Expert BlogCanadaAnthony Swift
Canada’s failure to commit to reducing its emissions by up to 52 percent by 2030 puts it out of step with the United States, demonstrating a failure to come to grips with the long term trajectory of its tar sands…

Latinx Leaders Paving the Way for Climate Action

Expert BlogLos Angeles, Chicago, New York City, San AntonioEloisa Portillo-Morales
Cities are leading the charge on climate action—reimagining how streets can be used, passing bold climate legislation, and creating green, equitable jobs. At the core of many of these efforts are Latinx leaders, whose activism has been instrumental in paving…

Time to Bury Big Oil's Criminal Enhancement Bill for Good

Expert BlogIllinoisJ.C. Kibbey
An Illinois legislator is pushing for a bill which would significantly enhance criminal penalties for anyone entering or causing damage to a very widely defined group of “critical infrastructure facilities,” effectively chilling peaceful exercise of freedom of speech, and threatening…

Victory in California

Expert BlogCalifornia, Chicago, IllinoisLauren P. Phillips
A court rules that California must stop exempting metal shredding facilities from hazardous waste laws, clearing a path to finally protect California communities from metal shredder pollution.

Electric School Buses for Peoria’s Clean Energy Future

Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisSelena Kyle, Alyssa Brown
Two Peoria-area school districts have added electric school buses to their fleets, thanks to the vision and hard work of local educators and students and the creation of the Edwards Settlement Fund.

Capturing the Climate Crisis—in Song

PerspectivesCanadaJeff Turrentine
On her new album, indie-pop artist Tamara Lindeman explores the complicated ways that climate change is changing . . . us.

Quebec Protections for Cree Land Go Far, But Not Far Enough

Expert BlogCanadaJennifer Skene
As part of a broader plan to meet its commitment of 17% land protection by 2020, Quebec announced a significant expansion of protected areas in Eeyou Istchee, the Cree homeland, that if realized, would double the territory’s protected area from…

Just Transition Milestone: Solar Power for Peoria’s ART Inc.

Expert BlogPeoria, IllinoisSelena Kyle, Alyssa Brown
Peoria, Illinois has hit a new milestone in its efforts to transition away from fossil fuels. One of the projects funded through our Clean Air Act settlement with the owners of the E.D. Edwards power plant is done!