News & Commentary

When Customers and Investors Demand Corporate Sustainability

June 27, 2024 ExplainerInternational, United States, CanadaSusan Cosier

Through shareholder resolutions, letters, and activism, consumers and shareholders can push companies to clean up supply chains—and their reputations.

Protecting Biodiversity Means Saving the Bogs (and Peatlands, Swamps, Marshes, Fens…)

April 23, 2024 ExplainerUnited StatesJason Bittel

Wetlands cover just 6 percent of the planet’s land area but provide habitat for 40 percent of wildlife.

The Long, Long Battle for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 15, 2024 ExplainerAlaskaBrian Palmer, Nicole Greenfield

For decades, politicians have vacillated between protecting Alaska’s refuge as one of the last unspoiled places on earth and plundering it for oil.

In Planning for Climate Change, Native Americans Draw on the Past

March 11, 2024 ExplainerUnited States, CanadaTim Vanderpool

Across North America, Indigenous tribes and nations are consulting their traditional ecological knowledge to help prepare for a warming world.

The Uinta Basin Railway Would Be a Bigger Carbon Bomb Than Willow

December 13, 2023 ExplainerUtah, Colorado, United StatesNicole Greenfield

The project could sabotage U.S. climate goals, send oil-filled trains along the Colorado River, and pollute the air from Utah to the Gulf Coast.

What Is the Justice40 Initiative?

December 4, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

This Biden administration directive is the historic effort to ensure that federal climate, clean energy, and infrastructure investments reach the communities who need them most.

Even One More Oil and Gas Lease Sale in the Gulf of Mexico Is Too Many

November 17, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, LouisianaCourtney Lindwall

An expansion of offshore drilling would lock the region into decades of fossil fuel extraction at the expense of the climate, coastal communities, and marine life.

What Are “EnergyGuide” and “Energy Star” Anyway?

September 14, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

A guide to decoding the government’s tip sheets for buying the most energy-efficient appliance.

What Are Heat Pump Air Conditioners?

August 25, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesAlejandra Mejia Cunningham, Alex Hillbrand

They’re way more efficient and cost-effective than standard ACs. Even better, they double as carbon-slashing heating systems.

What’s the Most Energy-Efficient Water Heater?

August 22, 2023 ExplainerInternational, United StatesPatrick Rogers

The new generation of eco-friendly heat pump water heaters will reduce your home’s emissions while also shrinking your utility bills.

A Trailblazer for Tribal Sovereignty

August 16, 2023 NRDC in ActionUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

NRDC Board member John Echohawk, a member of the Pawnee Nation, has devoted his career to asserting the legal and civil rights of Native Americans.

What the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA Ruling Means for Wetlands and Other Waterways

June 5, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJeff Turrentine

How the twisting of words in the Clean Water Act spells disaster.

A Climate Strategy for India Scales Up

May 22, 2023 NRDC in ActionIndiaJeff Turrentine

With the formation of its affiliate in New Delhi, NRDC rises to meet the sustainability challenges of the world's fastest-growing economy.

These 5 Animals Would Be Goners Without the Endangered Species Act

May 4, 2023 ExplainerUnited States, InternationalJason Bittel

They’re just a handful of the hundreds of species that would be extinct without the 50-year-old law.

Mercury’s Journey from Coal-Burning Power Plants to Your Plate

May 2, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesSusan Cosier

The EPA wants to lower people’s exposure to this potent neurotoxin by going after the pollutant’s biggest source. 

Failing to Meet Our Climate Goals Is Not an Option

April 26, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesNicole Greenfield

There’s more than one way the United States can nullify its climate emissions by 2050, but these strategies would make the journey a lot easier. 

Our Nation—and Its National Parks—Has a Smog Problem

April 21, 2023 ExplainerUnited StatesJason Bittel

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed new rules to address air pollution. But experts worry it’s not enough.

Alaska’s Tongass National Forest Gets the Protections It Deserves

February 17, 2023 NRDC in ActionAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

After a decades-long fight, the newly reinstated Roadless Rule will safeguard these wildlands from road construction and logging.

Crushing Alaska’s Pebble Mine

February 13, 2023 NRDC in ActionAlaskaNicole Greenfield, Jeff Turrentine

The EPA’s decision to veto the project is fantastic news—but the fight to save Bristol Bay isn’t over yet.

Decarbonization: Why We Must Electrify Everything Even Before the Grid Is Fully Green

December 1, 2022 ExplainerUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

To decarbonize and fight climate change, electrification and clean energy development must happen together—and fast.