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

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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.

Climate Change Is Worsening Houston’s Housing Crisis

DispatchHouston, TexasTim Vanderpool
Since Hurricane Harvey, homelessness has gone up, some public housing residents are living in severely damaged homes, and others have been cast out to remote suburbs—to the detriment of local well-being and the economy.

A Force for Nature, and for New Mexico

DispatchNew MexicoLora Shinn
Half a century later, a parent of the environmental justice movement is still standing up for low-income communities in the Southwest.

Flint Drinking Water Settlement FAQ

ExplainerUnited States, Michigan, Flint, MidwestNRDC
The residents of Flint, Michigan, will finally get their lead pipes replaced and have access to safe drinking water. Here's what you need to know.

Before Flint, Before East Chicago, There Was Smeltertown

DispatchFlint, Indiana, Texas, NewarkLauren Villagran
After a 1970s CDC study showed that the mostly Mexican-American population of this Texas town had dangerously high blood lead levels, its buildings were demolished and its residents were booted.

Is Water a Human Right?

ExplainerUnited States, Flint, New York, Jackson, Michigan, MississippiBrian Palmer
A look at what U.S. and international laws have to say about our right to clean drinking water.

Lead by the Numbers

ExplainerFlint, Michigan, United StatesNicole Greenfield
This Harper’s-inspired index on lead puts the Flint Water Crisis into new perspective.

Go Easy on the Salt

ExplainerFlint, Michigan, United StatesBrian Palmer
Did road salt help cause the Flint water crisis?

The Latin Quarter

ExplainerInternational, Brazil, Mexico, Costa Rica, Peru, Colombia, PanamaBrian Palmer
Latin America is key to addressing climate change at the Paris conference. Why doesn’t it get more attention?

The Soil Savior

DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine
A Texas farmer is bucking tradition by putting soil health above all else. The result? Water-retaining, nutrient-rich pay dirt.

Kotzebue Calling

DispatchAlaska, ArcticBruce Barcott
President Obama’s trip to the Arctic will reveal some cold, hard truths about the fossil-fuel industry’s impact on Alaskans.