News & Commentary

That Summer When Climate Change Baked Alaska

August 9, 2019 DispatchAlaskaJeff Turrentine

An Anchorage-based wildlife biologist describes what life is like in our northernmost state—one that’s been dramatically altered by rising temperatures.

What Can Green Groups, Labor Unions, Veterans, and a Coal Mining Exec All Get Behind? Solar Power in Appalachian Ohio.

May 14, 2019 NRDC in ActionOhioCourtney Lindwall

Dan Sawmiller, NRDC’s Ohio energy policy director, forms unexpected alliances to build out renewables in the Buckeye State.

Hawaii Stands Up for Its Sharks With Fishing Ban

April 24, 2019 DispatchHawaiiStarre Vartan

The Aloha State is on track to become the first in the nation to ban shark fishing outright, creating a critical safe harbor for these threatened animals.

Ohio Gains Ground on a Hidden Hazard: More Than a Century’s Worth of Abandoned Oil and Gas Wells

March 26, 2019 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Forgotten, derelict, and often leaky, these so-called orphan wells could number in the thousands.

A Journey Through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

March 22, 2019 DispatchArctic, AlaskaClara Chaisson

One of the world’s last pristine wild places is on the front lines of climate change—and threatened by fossil fuel development. These photos speak to why we must fight both.

A Fracking Boom Ransacks the Four Corners

March 20, 2019 DispatchNew MexicoTim Vanderpool

Native American activists in northwest New Mexico are putting up a firm resistance as the U.S. Bureau of Land Management hands over their homeland to allies in the oil and gas industry.

Army Corps Releases a Slapdash Environmental Review of Alaska’s Pebble Mine

March 1, 2019 Latest NewsAlaskaCourtney Lindwall

But the proposed gold and copper mine’s catastrophic threats to the waterways, salmon, and people of Bristol Bay haven’t changed.

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.

Ohio Communities Are Becoming a Dumping Ground for the Fracking Industry

December 3, 2018 DispatchOhioAustyn Gaffney

Earthquakes, spills, and groundwater contamination—wastewater wells come with many risks and few rewards for Trumbull County residents.

After 140 Million Years, the Chinese Sturgeon May Soon Be Extinct

November 20, 2018 ExplainerChinaJason Bittel

As dams have popped up in the Yangtze River, one of the world’s biggest freshwater fish is running out of room—and time.

In the Pacific Northwest, Testing Out New Wildfire Defenses on the Front Lines

October 30, 2018 DispatchWest, Washington, OregonLora Shinn

Where quick-spreading fires are the “new normal,” some state officials and communities are willing to try whatever it takes to prevent—or better prepare for—the next big blaze.

Amendment 74 Is a Loser for Coloradans

October 12, 2018 Expert BlogColoradoSam Gilchrist

With 11 carefully crafted words on this year’s ballot, oil and gas companies could swindle residents for generations.

IPCC 1.5°C Report: A Call to Transform Our Energy System

October 7, 2018 Expert BlogInternational, United States, ChinaHan Chen

The IPCC Special Report on 1.5C calls for immediate reductions in coal, oil and gas to avoid lockin-in high-carbon infrastructure, and calls for a rapid scaling up of renewable energy.

Just How Bad Was Hawaii’s Volcanic Eruption for Sea Turtles?

August 24, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiJason Bittel

A video showing a sea turtle trapped by lava went viral. Now experts weigh in on the eruption’s potential impact on the endangered animals.

Good News for These Hawaiian Dolphins (That Look an Awful Lot Like Orcas)

August 8, 2018 Latest NewsHawaiiCourtney Lindwall

After years of fighting to protect their habitat, we did it! Hawaii’s false killer whales now have a chance to come back from the brink.

To Understand the Growing Wildfire Threat, Look to the Tree Rings

July 9, 2018 DispatchNew MexicoLarry O'Hanlon

As New Mexicans brace for a potentially catastrophic fire season, forest ecologists explain how we got here—and why the problem isn’t going away.

With Its New Sunscreen Law, Hawaii Aims to Set a Gold Standard for the World to Follow

July 5, 2018 DispatchHawaiiD. W. Gibson

On the heels of the longest coral bleaching event on record, Hawaii hopes that banning a chemical culprit in sunscreen will help save its reefs.

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.

A Montana Artist Makes Objects of Beauty Inspired by Natural Disasters

April 11, 2018 PerspectivesMontanaIngrid Abramovitch

From his studio in Bozeman, Richard Parrish maps the impact of climate change in the American West using molten glass.

Following Spills, Ohio Wants to Reroute the Rover Pipeline but Lacks the Muscle

February 26, 2018 DispatchOhioSusan Cosier

High-profile disasters on the controversial pipeline prompted the feds to temporarily halt construction, but the state demands a more permanent solution.