News & Commentary

World Wildlife Conference: Last Chance for Vaquita

August 14, 2019 Expert BlogWest, California, MexicoZak Smith

The smallest porpoise species, found only in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico, has only around ten individuals left, making it the most critically endangered marine mammal on the planet.

Saving a Rare Plant and Rescuing a River

August 1, 2019 DispatchArizonaTim Vanderpool

The fate of southern Arizona’s embattled San Pedro River could hinge on whether the government acts to protect the nearly extinct Arizona eryngo—and in doing so puts the brakes on groundwater pumping that’s draining the landscape.

World Wildlife Conference Will Decide the Fate of Otters

August 1, 2019 Expert BlogInternational, IndiaPaul Todd

The countries of the world will vote in a few weeks on whether to protect Asian small-clawed and smooth-coated otters from poaching and international trade. Both species are declining fast, due in part to a gruesome trend in taking otter…

California Beckons the Gray Wolf—but Can’t Guarantee a Safe Journey There

July 8, 2019 DispatchWest, California, Oregon, WashingtonCorey Binns

The future of wolves in the West depends on collaborative cross-border commitments to protecting this icon of the wild.

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…

Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and NRDC Confront Federal Failures

May 17, 2019 Expert BlogNorth Dakota, South DakotaDr. Jennifer Sass

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.

Salt of the Earth, Courtesy of the Sun

January 30, 2019 NRDC in ActionGujarat, India

By powering their pumps with solar energy instead of diesel, Indian salt farmers are investing in their own brighter futures.

Women, Skills and Green Economic Growth in India

January 28, 2019 Expert BlogIndiaAnjali Jaiswal

The Festering Sanitation Crisis at Our Border

December 3, 2018 DispatchArizona, Mexico, CaliforniaTim Vanderpool

As the Trump administration ratchets up its rhetoric demanding billions for a wall, American communities along the Mexico border are in need of basic services, like reliable sewage treatment.

Discovery of an Ancient Reef Off South Carolina Is One More Reason Not to Drill the Atlantic

November 19, 2018 DispatchSouth CarolinaRobynne Boyd

The coral system is 85 miles long and has been there for hundreds of thousands of years.

This Lawyer Is Fighting to Save Two of the World’s Most Endangered Species

September 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionOregon, CaliforniaNicole Greenfield

Oregon-based NRDC attorney Giulia Good Stefani is living her dream by working to protect orcas off her coast and vaquitas in the Gulf of California.

A New Approach to Oregon’s Growing Rat Problem

September 5, 2018 DispatchOregonBecca Cudmore

The city of Eugene is testing an unconventional solution to a serious issue, with a ban on feeding a slew of wild animals.

The Bullfrog Is the “Great White Shark” of Arizona’s Wetlands

August 31, 2018 DispatchArizonaJason Bittel

Conservationists and ranchers are teaming up to drain the swamp (literally) so they can kick these invasive croakers out and save the state’s leopard frogs.

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.

The Rise of Chile’s River Protectors

July 10, 2018 NRDC in ActionChileNicole Greenfield

For decades, NRDC has worked alongside Chileans who are fighting to save Patagonia’s wildest rivers from being yoked by massive hydroelectric dams.

Help NRDC Save the Vaquita

July 6, 2018 Expert BlogUnited States, MexicoErika Moyer

In Washington, a Coal-Fired Power Plant Will Put Its Money on the Sun

June 11, 2018 DispatchWashingtonStarre Vartan

Ten percent of the state’s greenhouse gases come from a single coal-fired power plant—which will soon trade coal for solar.

Oregon Has a Poaching Problem—and a Force to Reckon With It

June 8, 2018 DispatchOregonBecca Cudmore

The Beaver State is one of just two in the nation where illegal animal kills are addressed by the police.