News & Commentary

What Can Green Groups, Labor Unions, Veterans, and a Coal Mining Exec All Get Behind? Solar Power in Appalachian Ohio.

May 14, 2019 NRDC in ActionOhioCourtney Lindwall

Dan Sawmiller, NRDC’s Ohio energy policy director, forms unexpected alliances to build out renewables in the Buckeye State.

L.A. Takes a Fresh Look at Recycled Water

May 13, 2019 DispatchLos AngelesLauren Evans

Facing dwindling freshwater supplies, the city is ready to stop dumping millions of gallons into the Pacific—and to follow Orange County’s lead.

U.N. Report: A Million Extinctions and Ecological Collapse Are on the Way

May 13, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

We got ourselves into this mess. It’s high time we got ourselves out of it.

Pennsylvania's Gas Power Problem, Part 1: The Build-Out

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, PennsylvaniaMark Szybist

For most of the last decade, the biggest energy story in Pennsylvania has been fracking—the use of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to extract shale gas—and the dramatic increase in gas production that fracking has driven.

Pennsylvania's Gas Power Problem, Part II: Cost and Risk

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogMark Szybist

To avoid the worst impacts of climate change, we need to make dramatic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. Where the power sector is concerned, that means using energy much more efficiently, scaling up renewables, and putting a legally binding and…

How CA’s Climate Leadership Yielded A Healthy Economy

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogRalph Cavanagh

NRDC has completed a comprehensive and rigorous comparison, over the four decades since 1975, of the California economy’s energy intensity versus that of the rest of the country.

When Your Planet Calls 911

May 10, 2019 Latest NewsUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

The systems that allow life on earth to exist are breaking down. We’re responsible. But we also have the power to turn things around.

Colorado Greenlights Zero Emission Vehicle Rulemaking

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogDr. Simon Mui

Utilities, States, Thousands More Oppose Lighting Rollback

May 10, 2019 Expert BlogNoah Horowitz

Electric utilities across America, low-income consumer groups, national and local environmental organizations, 24 governors, 17 state attorneys general, almost 18,000 individual letter-writers, and the American Chemical Society all sent in letters urging the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to abandon…

Farmers on the Frontlines of Looming Biodiversity Crisis

May 9, 2019 Expert BlogClaire O'Connor

A recent report from an international group of experts called IPBES describes how our choices—what we eat, how we live, and what we value—are reshaping the planet we call home. Unfortunately, our choices are making our planet inhospitable for life.

The Rise of the “Outdoor Voting Bloc”

May 9, 2019 Expert BlogSam Gilchrist, Noah Long

In Colorado and neighboring states, a thoroughly western combination of self-reliance and responsibility is translating into action on climate.

Food Waste Lessons from Milan

May 8, 2019 Expert BlogElizabeth Balkan, Yvette Cabrera

The City of Milan, a hub for food systems work, is a pioneer city working toward achieving Sustainable Development Goal 12.3—to cut 50% of its food waste by 2030.

Deal of the Century: Tie the USMCA to Paris

May 7, 2019 Expert BlogDan West

Improving NAFTA has been one of President Trump’s key priorities, and, unlike much of what the Trump administration has tried to do, one goal the Natural Resources Defense Council has shared.

California Lunchrooms May Soon Serve Up Organics

May 7, 2019 DispatchCaliforniaCorey Binns

A state bill promises organic food to students—and benefits for local farmers and farmworkers, too.

Climate Change Drives the Politics of Climate Change

May 7, 2019 Expert BlogRoland Hwang

Opening Remarks for the Milken Institute 2019 Global Conference panel: “If We Do Nothing: Earth’s Climate at the Tipping Point."

Microbes Matter: What the Biodiversity Report Means for Soil

May 7, 2019 Expert BlogArohi Sharma

The report found that 23 percent of our agricultural lands are less productive than five years ago, and in refreshingly bold terms, the report comments on the role agricultural subsidies play in catalyzing soil health degradation and biodiversity loss.

Cues from the Midwest Floods: Is Your Community Prepared?

May 7, 2019 Expert BlogJuanita Constible

As we think about the kind of future we want, we should be asking our elected officials this critical question: What are you doing to prepare for the present-day impacts of climate change?

U.N. Biodiversity Report: A Million Reasons to Better Protect Our Natural Systems

May 6, 2019 Expert BlogSusan Casey-Lefkowitz

Human civilization is under threat. We must save nature in order to address this emergency.

You Can Make a Difference and Take Transformative Actions

May 6, 2019 Expert BlogInternationalJulia Prochnik, Jessica Russo

The United Nations (UN) released another alarming report about our planet and the harmful causes hurting our ecosystems. After the recent UN IPCC report, this will be the second report reminding all of us that change must happen to protect…

Could “Liking” an Anti-Pipeline Facebook Post Soon Be Illegal?

May 6, 2019 Expert BlogJosh Axelrod

A new South Dakota law—written in consultation with the company that owns Keystone XL—could punish people for exercising their right to peaceful protest. Is it a harbinger of things to come?