News & Commentary

General Electric’s Coal Plant Profiteering Needs to End Now

September 9, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, AfricaHan Chen

The U.S.-based giant General Electric (GE), wants to carry on quietly with business activities that seriously endanger millions of people and the planet.

Dominion’s Rising Cost to Virginia's Economy and Environment

September 7, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, VirginiaWalton Shepherd

Observers in the energy regulatory world were shocked last week at the finding of a staggering $277 million in overcollections by Dominion, the state’s largest regulated monopoly.

India Focus: Telangana Moves on Electric Mobility

September 4, 2019 Expert BlogHyderabad, IndiaAnjali Jaiswal

With chronic traffic congestion and skyrocketing air pollution, leading states in India are looking to electric vehicles as a key solution.

July Was Hottest on Record—and Dangerous Heat Hits Home

August 20, 2019 Expert BlogUnited States, North CarolinaDr. Vijay Limaye

Fueled by climate change, extreme heat is causing more hospitalizations—and even deaths—across the country.

Columbus Makes Its Historically Disadvantaged Neighborhoods a Key to Its Climate Future

July 9, 2019 DispatchColumbus, OhioSarah Stankorb

Self-driving shuttles and energy audits are helping to keep this Ohio boomtown booming (without the carbon bust).

Justice Warrior on the Affordable Energy Front

June 12, 2019 NRDC in ActionVirginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New YorkKaren L. Smith-Janssen

Dawone Robinson is righting the inequities that low-income communities of color face in accessing the benefits of energy efficiency—like more comfortable homes and lower energy bills, for starters.

Latin America’s Air Pollution Impacts Climate and Health

June 5, 2019 Expert BlogChile, Columbia, InternationalAmanda Maxwell

Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk for health in the Americas, according to the World Health Organization. The theme of World Environment Day this year is Air Pollution, and this opportunity to highlight the seriousness of the problem could…

The Student Activist Fighting Pittsburgh’s Dirty Industry

May 23, 2019 DispatchPittsburghCourtney Lindwall

Anaïs Peterson is busy organizing, educating, and ushering in a new era of environmentalism in the Steel City.

Portland Makes Strides to Cut Emissions and Move Beyond Four Wheels

March 4, 2019 DispatchPortland (Oregon)Becca Cudmore

The Rose City, a winner of the American Cities Climate Challenge, will reduce emissions as it revamps its transportation system—part of a new strategic plan called Central City in Motion.

These Alaska Residents Are Watching Their Hometowns Slide Into Rising Waters

October 29, 2018 DispatchAlaskaAlisa Opar

At least 31 villages now face imminent threats from climate change and may have to relocate, at a cost of as much as $200 million each.

International Day of Indigenous Peoples: Free Nahuelbuta

August 9, 2018 Expert BlogChile, InternationalJames Blair

In the Nahuelbuta Mountains of what is now Chile, Indigenous Mapuche communities offer hopeful lessons for native forest restoration and river protection, based on deep historical relations with the local environment.

In the Columbia–Snake River Basin, Salmon Are Losing Their Way

July 18, 2018 DispatchWest, Washington, OregonJodi Helmer

As the fish disappear, native peoples are looking for solutions lest they lose a way of life too.

Why Women Rule NRDC’s Science Center

March 27, 2018 NRDC in ActionSan Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York City, Ahmedabad, India, United StatesJenny Shalant

And why female leaders tend to be more attuned to issues of environmental equity.

The Connection Between Mass Incarceration and Environmental Justice

January 19, 2018 ExplainerUnited States, Pennsylvania, KentuckyNicole Greenfield

The country’s prison industry has little regard for where its facilities are located—even if that means building on noxiously polluted ground.

This Tiny North Carolina Town Is Sick of Being a Dumping Ground for Pollution

August 21, 2017 DispatchNorth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The largely African-American community of Dobbins Heights hopes to protect its health—and its trees—from the biomass industry.

In Philadelphia, Climate Change Can Take Your Breath Away

July 11, 2017 DispatchPhiladelphiaClara Chaisson

But plans to cut local carbon pollution might help this asthma capital shake its wheezy reputation.

Still No Approved Route for KXL in Nebraska

June 1, 2017 ExplainerUnited States, NebraskaBrian Palmer

Yes, Trump has green-lighted the controversial Keystone XL pipeline. But Nebraska’s got a slew of public hearings on the calendar, and legal challenges loom large.

The Moss That Saved Portland

February 28, 2017 DispatchPortland (Oregon), OregonBecca Cudmore

Roadside plants helped officials trace the source of a public health crisis and led to new standards for clean air in Oregon.

Why We Need the EPA

February 14, 2017 ExplainerPuerto Rico, New York City, United States, ClevelandBrian Palmer

Let’s not forget what America looked like before we had the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Our rivers caught on fire, our air was full of smog, and it stank (literally).

The Petcoke Problem: Where to Store the Risky Tar Sands Refining By-Product

November 1, 2016 ExplainerUnited States, Canada, Chicago, Detroit, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Virginia

Petroleum coke, typically stored outdoors in big open piles, can blow right into nearby homes and cause serious health problems. Unsurprisingly, communities are fighting Big Oil to keep this noxious material out of their backyards.