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.

This Is the Moment to Reimagine Public Transportation

Expert BlogUnited States, Seattle, New York CityAmanda Eaken

COVID-19 has changed many aspects of life, including the way we move through our neighborhoods. The pandemic has forced us to reimagine peoples relationship to streets with many cities launching "healthy streets" or "open streets" to allow for more land…

Renewable Rikers Island: NYC Planning Commission Testimony

Expert BlogNew York CitySara Imperiale

NRDC provided testimony to the New York City Planning Commission in support of an amendment to the City Map establishing the entirety of Rikers Island as a Public Place, a designation that would prohibit Rikers Island from being used for…

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

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

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

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.

Good News, North Carolina: $6 Million for Energy Efficiency

Expert BlogNorth CarolinaPamela Rivera

Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) project partners helped secure a settlement with Duke Energy in pending rate cases that includes a contribution of $3 million in each of the next two years (total $6) to the state’s Helping Home Fund.

House Climate Crisis Action Plan Gets a Lot Right on Biomass

Expert BlogNorth CarolinaSasha Stashwick

Established science now shows that burning biomass from forests for electricity is not a climate solution within timeframes relevant to addressing climate change. The Select Committee’s plan recognizes this science and squarely positions its policies in contrast to those of…

Three Lessons Learned from the Axed Atlantic Coast Pipeline

Expert BlogVirginia, West Virginia, North CarolinaGillian Giannetti
This is a significant and long-overdue victory for the landowners, community leaders, countless people across three states, and environmental advocates who have fought this project for years.

Urban Innovator

NRDC in ActionCharlotte, North Carolina, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Paul, Minnesota, Austin, TexasKeith Mulvihill
Through her work in the buildings sector, Wendy Lee helps propel cities into a fairer and more energy-efficient future.

NRDC Sues FERC Over Orders that Threaten NY Clean Energy

Expert BlogNew YorkChristopher Casey
The FERC orders undermine New York’s State efforts to achieve landmark clean energy targets and also compromise efforts to replace dirty peaker plants in New York City with renewable energy and battery storage solutions, which is vitally important for reducing…

New York Bans Utility Shutoffs during COVID-19 Emergency

Expert BlogNew YorkJoan Leary Matthews
New York is the first state to act via legislation to establish a statewide moratorium on all utility shutoffs—water, gas, electric, and telephone, including both publicly- and privately-owned utilities.

A Translator for the Climate Crisis, Grief Included

NRDC in ActionNew York City, New York, Birmingham, AlabamaKaren L. Smith-Janssen
Writer, editor, teacher, and podcast host Mary Annaïse Heglar uses the art of storytelling to help people feel less alone in facing the climate crisis—and to build the movement for climate justice.

Mobilizer for Change

NRDC in ActionNew York CityCourtney Lindwall
Community manager Tejal Mankad is working to amplify the voices of today’s younger, more diverse environmental movement and to foster more awareness and action among NRDC’s 2.2 million social followers.