News & Commentary

In Colorado, Oil and PFAS Shouldn’t Mix

January 12, 2023 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

We can add PFAS contamination to the list of ways the oil and gas industry is threatening Coloradans’ health. Two new laws aim to stop it—but are they enough?

Colorado’s Religious Communities See Climate Action as a Moral Obligation

December 22, 2022 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

Whether fighting for clean air or affordable housing, several of the state’s faith leaders are uniting around the notion of protecting “home.”

Colorado River Basin Tribes Address a Historic Drought—and Their Water Rights—Head-On

November 14, 2022 DispatchColoradoTim Vanderpool

Their growing inclusion in the region’s water management will likely prove priceless.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

Will Los Angeles Finally Put an End to Oil Drilling in Neighborhoods?

November 12, 2021 DispatchLos AngelesNicole Greenfield

For close to a decade, the STAND-L.A. coalition has been calling on the city to stop extracting oil near homes and schools. Victory, at long last, is within reach.

Fighting Climate Change and Heatstroke One Home at a Time

October 4, 2021 DispatchVirginiaJodi Helmer

With their state’s joining of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Virginians are reaping the benefits of upgrades to their homes and quality of life.

Latina Farmworkers Speak Out about the Hazards of Life in California’s Fields

October 4, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

From farms to public hearings, the women of Líderes Campesinas are standing up against the pesticide exposure, COVID-19 risk, and other threats disproportionately impacting their community.

The Chlorpyrifos Ban Is a Win for Science—and Children

September 17, 2021 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaNicole Greenfield

NRDC advocates and our partners spent decades fighting against a highly toxic pesticide that harms kids, farmworkers, and their families. In August, the EPA finally banned it.

Living Among the Diesel Trucks: My Environmental Injustice Story

September 13, 2021 PerspectivesCaliforniaAndrea Guerra

To a college student who grew up surrounded by heavy truck traffic, warehouses, and commercial hubs in one of California’s most polluted communities, the push to electrify transportation is more than just urgent health policy—it’s personal.

Defenders of Homes, Hills, and Heritage Unite Against the Mountain Valley Pipeline

August 13, 2021 DispatchVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaNicole Greenfield

Meet five people who are fighting on the ground—from Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina—to stop the destructive fossil fuel project before it’s too late.

Fighting Climate Change Through Farming

August 12, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaAlisa Opar

In Central California, small ranches and farms are growing their connections—to the land, to the past, and to each other.

Laurie David Is Keeping the Action in Climate Activism

May 20, 2021 DispatchCaliforniaJeff Turrentine

The producer and author wants people to understand what our planet is up against, but even more than that, she wants to show us how, together, we can make real change.

An Oil Giant Is No Match for Resistance and Resilience in Richmond, California

May 7, 2021 DispatchRichmond (California)Ann Lien

How a small Laotian refugee community on San Francisco Bay took on Chevron, won—and keeps winning.

Taking Care of the Food Workers Who Take Care of Us

February 10, 2021 NRDC in ActionColoradoNicole Greenfield

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the inequities faced by food- and farmworkers who put their health in danger just by coming to work each day. NRDC is pushing to change that.

A Champion for Equitable and Sustainable Infrastructure

December 3, 2020 NRDC in ActionLos Angeles, PhiladelphiaShelia Hu

Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins is pushing for public policy solutions that address social equity and climate justice while strengthening access to reliable transportation, affordable housing, and open spaces.

COVID-19 Has Exposed the Gross Exploitation of Meatpacking Workers

October 30, 2020 DispatchColoradoNicole Greenfield

The ongoing health and safety failures at the JBS meat-processing plant in Greeley, Colorado, highlight an industry-wide truth: It’s production over people, even in a deadly pandemic.

The Clean Energy Expert Bringing Black Voices to the Table

October 5, 2020 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaRasheena Fountain

As NRDC’s California state lead for clean energy and equity, Alexis Cureton is working to ensure that communities of color help shape energy policy, both inside and outside of the energy sector.

Katrina, Climate, and Justice: A Future in Foreshadow?

August 28, 2020 PerspectivesNew Orleans, LouisianaZaria Howell

After Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana just days before the Katrina remembrance, photojournalism from 15 years ago reminds us that disaster preparation isn’t just about wind and water.

Defender of Housing Justice

August 25, 2020 NRDC in ActionNew Orleans, United States, LouisianaJenny Shalant

Energy efficiency and social safety net advocate Khalil Shahyd explains why supporting affordable housing is intrinsic to the climate fight.

Connector of the Gulf South, 15 Years and Counting

August 24, 2020 DispatchNew Orleans, LouisianaKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Colette Pichon Battle is getting the conversation going—and the preparations moving—for Black and Indigenous communities of Louisiana who are still healing from Hurricane Katrina, even as they stand on the frontlines of climate change.