News & Commentary

Should You Buy Carbon Offsets?

May 11, 2022 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalBrian Palmer

A practical and philosophical guide to neutralizing your carbon footprint.

An Advocate for Building Equity into Michigan’s Climate Goals

August 4, 2021 NRDC in ActionMichiganBrian Palmer

NRDC’s Derrell Slaughter sees climate justice as one of the foremost civil rights issues of our time.

A Catalyst for the Midwest’s Clean Energy Transition

December 1, 2020 NRDC in ActionKansas City (Kansas), St. Louis, Missouri, New York CityBrian Palmer

Ashok Gupta spent decades cleaning up New York’s grid and reducing its reliance on dirty fuels. Now he’s working to bring the clean energy future to the Midwest.

This Is What a Just Transition Looks Like

March 2, 2020 ExplainerUnited States, Peoria, IllinoisBrian Palmer

To help a community leave its dirty energy economy behind, advocates must fight for local representation, equity, and retraining that prepares workers for high-quality jobs.

Fuel Efficiency Standards Don’t Just Help Curb Climate Change, They Also Create Jobs

August 28, 2018 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

So many technological innovations in the automobile industry stem directly from guidelines intended to reduce gas guzzling. If we lose these guidelines, we’ll also lose a lot of our workforce.

Adios, Diablo Canyon

June 21, 2016 NRDC in ActionCaliforniaBrian Palmer

A huge California utility is closing the state’s last nuclear reactors—proving to the rest of the country that we can transition to clean energy.

The Rise and Fall of Diesel

March 15, 2016 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Clean diesel is an object lesson on "too good to be true." Any kind of diesel exhaust is truly terrible—both for the environment and for our health.

The Final Fifth

February 2, 2016 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Current regulations will achieve 80 percent of the country’s climate goal. Where will the rest come from?

As India Goes, So Goes Civilization

January 22, 2016 Latest NewsIndiaBrian Palmer

How India builds its energy grid could decide the fate of humanity. Maybe we should help the country out.

What to Watch for in 2016

January 6, 2016 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

The new year offers some interesting environmental subplots.

Das Pollute

September 24, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Did Volkswagen expose flaws in our emissions-testing regime?

The Speed Sweet Spot

August 28, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Not too fast, not too slow—how driving speed and free-flowing traffic can lower the carbon emissions from our tailpipes.

More for Less

August 13, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Understand energy efficiency, and you’ll understand how the Clean Power Plan works.

Will the Clean Power Plan Make Any Difference?

August 10, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Uh, yeah.

Does Home Weatherization Pay for Itself?

June 29, 2015 ExplainerUnited States, MichiganBrian Palmer

Let’s take a deeper look into last week’s energy efficiency bombshell.

Angry Birds

June 12, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

The GOP attacks a venerable bird protection law in the name of wind energy.

Not a Creature Was Stirring—Except for the Power Meter

May 7, 2015 ExplainerUnited StatesBrian Palmer

Nearly one-quarter of home energy goes to energy vampires. Who can save us?

Bomb Squad #Fail

May 4, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

The new rules for oil trains are horrifyingly inadequate.

The Big Green Discount

March 13, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

States that produce renewable energy have cheap electricity.

Gentlemen, Stop Your Engines

February 20, 2015 Latest NewsUnited StatesBrian Palmer

You spend 2 percent of driving time at traffic lights, but inhale 25 percent of your air pollution there.