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.

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.

Greening the Playing Fields

NRDC in ActionPhiladelphia, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland (Oregon), BostonAmanda MacMillan
How the sports industry became one of the planet's most powerful allies.

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.

Healing the Anacostia's Troubled Waters

NRDC in ActionWashington, D.C., MarylandJeff Turrentine
After two centuries of neglect, NRDC is helping revitalize Washington, D.C.'s forgotten river.

The Battle for Jamaica Bay

NRDC in ActionNew York City, New YorkNicole Greenfield
Pollution was killing one of New York City’s greatest natural treasures—until NRDC stepped in.

The Soil Savior

DispatchTexasJeff Turrentine
A Texas farmer is bucking tradition by putting soil health above all else. The result? Water-retaining, nutrient-rich pay dirt.

6 Cities That Are Ready for Climate Change

ExplainerNew York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Portland (Oregon), San AntonioKim Castleberry
By embracing green infrastructure, these urban areas have a solid defense against increased drought or flood.

Meet the Waste Watcher

NRDC in ActionNew York City, United StatesSarah Engler
NRDC scientist Dana Gunders has written the book on the mounting problem of food waste.

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.

Rat Pack

DispatchNew York CityAlisa Opar
New York is the city that never sleeps—and neither do its rat researchers.

Let's Get Wasted!

DispatchNew York CityClara Chaisson
A pop-up restaurant gives trash-bound food a place at the table.

Rogue Elephant

DispatchIndiana
What happened when the Republican mayor of Carmel, Indiana, bucked his party and embraced sustainability? He got reelected—four times.

Greening Houston

DispatchHouston, Texas
The U.S. capital of the oil industry could teach other cities a thing or two about fighting climate change—in a politically inhospitable climate.

Are Urban Green Spaces Doomed?

PerspectivesNew York CityJeff Turrentine
In cities like New York, pocket parks may be even harder to come by than affordable housing.