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.

Rate Increases and Blackouts: Duke Energy’s Strategy for 2023

Expert BlogNorth Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, EastLuis Martinez
Duke failed to keep the lights on last December, but it is now pursuing enormous rate increases of more than 30 percent to help pay for fossil fuels and huge executive salary raises.

Crisis to Opportunity: China Moves Fast to Protect Wildlife

Expert BlogChinaNing (Lisa) Hua
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, China accelerated the pace of wildlife protection over the last year, which included the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopting a decision to ban the trade of wildlife as food and to…

Holding Mexico Accountable for Vaquita Extinction

Expert BlogMexicoZak Smith
Mexico has a choice. It can save the vaquita by enforcing its laws and regulations or it can let the vaquita go extinct. It has already shown that it is inclined to choose extinction. The United States and others, like…

For a Family in Mexico, a Mission to Protect Monarchs

DispatchMexicoNicole Greenfield
Siblings Joel, Anayeli, and Patricio Moreno see the future of their community and that of the butterflies that migrate annually to the local Cerro Pelón forest as being intimately connected.

How EV Charging Can Clean Up China's Electricity Grid

Expert BlogChinaBarbara Finamore, Hyoung Mi Kim
Shanghai has just completed an historic EV-Grid Integration pilot program, the first project in China to make use of electric vehicles (EVs) as a flexible energy resource for the power grid system. Since China’s electricity system is still primarily coal-powered…

Showing Migrating Monarch Butterflies Some Southern Hospitality

DispatchMexico, Texas, HoustonRobynne Boyd
Non-native tropical milkweed fuels monarchs on their journey through southern states, but when cooler weather hits, the plant can bring parasites and starvation. Here’s what butterfly-loving southerners can do.

World Wildlife Conference: Last Chance for Vaquita

Expert BlogWest, California, MexicoZak Smith

The smallest porpoise species, found only in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, has only around ten individuals left, making it the most critically endangered marine mammal on the planet.

Facing Down the Ivory Sellers, Pangolin Poachers, and Giraffe Traders

NRDC in ActionNew York, California, Hawaii, United States, ChinaNicole Greenfield
Elly Pepper, deputy director of NRDC’s Wildlife Trade Initiative, says there’s much that U.S. advocates can do to end the illegal marketplaces endangering animals across the globe.

Conservación y comunidad en Laguna San Ignacio

Expert BlogMexicoJames Blair
NRDC has a long history in Laguna San Ignacio, one of the last unspoiled nurseries for Pacific gray whales in Baja California Sur, Mexico. NRDC’s President, Rhea Suh, recently described her “deeply moving, thrilling” encounter with the whales of the…