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.

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.

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

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.

Our Favorite National Parks

NRDC in ActionColorado, California, Minnesota, Alaska, New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, Arizona, Hawaii, Michigan, Montana, Tennessee
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, NRDC’s very own wilderness fanatics share their most treasured park memories.

Reducing the Nuclear Threat

NRDC in ActionPennsylvaniaMelissa Denchak
Since the 1970s, NRDC has been fighting to protect the earth—and its citizens—from the serious risks that come with nuclear power.

Why Are Our Waters Turning Green?

NRDC in ActionLouisiana, Toledo, Ohio, Des Moines, IowaNicole Greenfield
Toxic algal blooms are suffocating waterways from the Gulf of Mexico to Lake Erie.

Go Easy on the Salt

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

Fixing the Fashion Industry

NRDC in ActionChinaSarah Murray
The overseas textile mills that make our clothes are incredibly wasteful and polluting. NRDC's Clean by Design program is changing that.

Save the Sage Grouse, Save the West

NRDC in ActionMontana, WyomingVirginia Sole-Smith
Why our success in saving the greater sage grouse is key to preserving millions of acres of habitat and hundreds of other species across the American West.

No Photos, Please

DispatchWyomingAlisa Opar
New Wyoming laws stifle freedom of speech and make citizen science illegal.

The Great Oyster Crash

DispatchOregon, WestEric Scigliano
Ocean acidification hits the Pacific shellfish industry.

Remember the Kalamazoo

DispatchMichiganBrian Palmer
Five years ago, a pipeline spilled a million gallons of tar sands crude into a Michigan river—and we’re still cleaning it up.

Toxic Two-Step

DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine
When politicians and corporate polluters step onto the dance floor in Texas, the state’s environmental agency provides the music.