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.

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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.

Energy From Pig Poop: Industry’s Recent Dupe

Expert BlogUnited States, North CarolinaPaloma Sisneros-Lobato

Pork producer Smithfield Foods, in partnership with Dominion Energy under the new name Align RNG, have focused their corporate agribusiness agenda on building a network of directed biogas to generate energy from methane gas, rather than investing in cleaner waste…

Crisis to Opportunity: China Moves Fast to Protect Wildlife

Expert BlogChinaNing (Lisa) Hua
In response to the COVID-19 crisis, China accelerated the pace of wildlife protection over the last year, which included the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress adopting a decision to ban the trade of wildlife as food and to…

How Cities Are Centering Equity in Benchmarking Policies

Expert BlogDenver, Colorado, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Seattle, WashingtonCaroline Keicher
A new resource from the City Energy Project—Incorporating Equity into Energy Benchmarking Requirements: Guidance for Policy and Program Practitioners—helps cities understand the opportunity to leverage benchmarking and transparency policies to address racial and social equity.

Pittsburgh Poised to Thrive on Biden’s Plan

Expert BlogPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaMitchell Bernard
An equitable recovery powered by climate action means millions of well-paying jobs—with the Steel City, and other places like it, at the center of it all.

Fighting Inequity with Solar Power

DispatchMinneapolis, St. PaulSusan Cosier
Minneapolis’s 4d program to boost energy efficiency and affordable housing in the city is kicking it up a notch.

Stressed by Heat, Farmworkers Deserve Federal Protections

Expert BlogCalifornia, Washington, MinnesotaTeniope Adewumi-Gunn
Unprotected from many basic workplace rights and in the face of a growing climate crisis that threatens their well-being, farmworkers deserve federal safeguards from extreme heat and its dangerous effects.

Memphis & Pittsburgh Make Proclamations to Reduce Food Waste

Expert BlogMemphis, Tennessee, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaNina Sevilla
Cities participating in the Food Matters Regional Initiative are making public commitments to reduce food waste, and building leadership, credibility, and community buy-in throughout the process.

Cities Are Leading the Way: 2020 Wins & Look Ahead

Expert BlogUnited States, Charlotte, Honolulu, Pittsburgh, St. LouisJay Orfield, Kimi Narita
Cities made tremendous progress in their climate challenge goals throughout a difficult 2020. Now, cities are eyeing all that is possible in the new year.

A Champion for Equitable and Sustainable Infrastructure

NRDC in ActionLos Angeles, PhiladelphiaShelia Hu
Stephanie Gidigbi Jenkins is pushing for public policy solutions that address social equity and climate justice while strengthening access to reliable transportation, affordable housing, and open spaces.

Albuquerque Partners with Jicarilla Apache Nation Solar Farm

Expert BlogNew Mexico, AlbuquerqueEloisa Portillo-Morales
Known for its beautiful lakes, majestic landscapes, and abundant wildlife, the Jicarilla Apache Nation reservation in northwestern New Mexico will soon become known for another impressive environmental feature: a 400-acre solar farm.

Urban Innovator

NRDC in ActionCharlotte, North Carolina, St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Paul, Minnesota, Austin, TexasKeith Mulvihill
Through her work in the buildings sector, Wendy Lee helps propel cities into a fairer and more energy-efficient future.

How EV Charging Can Clean Up China's Electricity Grid

Expert BlogChinaBarbara Finamore, Hyoung Mi Kim
Shanghai has just completed an historic EV-Grid Integration pilot program, the first project in China to make use of electric vehicles (EVs) as a flexible energy resource for the power grid system. Since China’s electricity system is still primarily coal-powered…

NC's Missing the Big Picture on Climate Resilience

Expert BlogNorth CarolinaRob Moore

NC is applying for $168 million from HUD's CDBG-MIT fund. But NC is proposing to focus on a narrow range of projects and missing the larger opportunity to use these funds to make much-needed changes to a range of local…

How Long Does It Take to Get a FEMA Buyout for a Flooded Home?

ExplainerUnited States, KentuckyKeith Mulvihill
Millions of people in America could be displaced by rising sea levels and repeated flooding. Yet, as Kentucky resident Olga McKissic learned, it can take years to get the help needed to move to higher ground.

From Farms to Dollar Stores, One Woman’s Fight for Justice

DispatchAlbuquerque, New MexicoNicole Greenfield
In her long history as a community organizer and environmental justice activist, Helga Garza has advocated for clean water and nontoxic toys. Her current mission: making fresh, local produce accessible.

Justice Warrior on the Affordable Energy Front

NRDC in ActionVirginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New YorkKaren L. Smith-Janssen
Dawone Robinson is righting the inequities that low-income communities of color face in accessing the benefits of energy efficiency—like more comfortable homes and lower energy bills, for starters.