News & Commentary

We Need Healthy Farm Ecosystems – Not Harmful Pesticides

December 14, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, Washington, D.C., Florida, CaliforniaAllison Johnson

EPA should do more to protect pollinators – and we need to ramp up resources to help farmers build healthy ecosystems themselves.

Gulf Whale Artist Series: Florida Artist Blends Art with Education

November 13, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, FloridaLexi Nutkiewicz

Based in St. Petersburg, Florida, Kelly Quinn is the Co-founder and Art Director of Canvas of the Wild (COTW) where she designs natural landscape murals for educational campaigns, creates illustrations for coloring and activity books, and develops scientific graphics for communicating research. Quinn…

Organic Needs a Boost in the Farm Bill

July 12, 2023 Expert BlogUnited States, California, Iowa, Washington, D.C.Allison Johnson

Our public investments in organic food production have not kept pace with the organic sector’s growth – and that’s a missed opportunity for domestic economic development. The Opportunities in Organic Act would help U.S. farms meet consumer demand by reducing…

Celebrating Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Food Matters Cohorts

December 9, 2022 Expert BlogBaltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.Madeline Keating, Darby Hoover

This month, we mark the successful completion of our two-year partnerships with the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast cohorts. Our work with Great Lakes cities will continue in 2023.

Right Whale Moms and Calves at Risk from Fast Vessels

November 14, 2022 Expert BlogGeorgia, Florida, New Jersey, EastDr. Francine Kershaw

Recent Chemical Disasters Impel Stronger Federal Safety Regs

October 25, 2022 Expert BlogUnited States, New Jersey, Louisiana, North CarolinaSahana Rao

NOAA Defends Protections for One-of-a-Kind Oculina Corals

August 4, 2022 Expert BlogFloridaAnupa Asokan, Molly Masterton

Iowa Group Protects Bee Habitat Amid ESA Battle

February 9, 2022 Expert BlogIowa, MidwestLucas Rhoads

While NRDC and our partners are in court fighting to win habitat protections for the endangered rusty patched bumble bee, the Bur Oak Land Trust is also taking matters into its own hands.

New Jersey Enacts Groundbreaking Neonic Legislation

January 19, 2022 Expert BlogNew JerseyLucas Rhoads

New Jersey has enacted legislation that significantly curtails use of neonicotinoid pesticides, or "neonics," insect-killers that are a leading cause of mass bee losses, contribute to declines in birds and other wildlife, and pose risks to human health.

For Thousands of Years, Indigenous Tribes Have Been Planting for the Future

November 30, 2021 DispatchIowa, Canada, Pennsylvania, OklahomaSusan Cosier

With yields of biodiversity and a more climate-resilient food supply, a movement is sprouting in BIPOC communities across North America to save heirloom seeds and preserve culture.

Celebrating Year One of the Food Matters Regional Initiative

August 30, 2021 Expert BlogChicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Madison, Ohio, Baltimore, Jersey City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, North Carolina, Memphis, OrlandoMadeline Keating, Darby Hoover

A year after the launch of the Food Matters Regional Initiative, we are pleased to report considerable progress and accomplishments from the 15 regional initiative participants.

NRDC Sues to Challenge Seismic Testing in the Gulf of Mexico

July 22, 2021 Expert BlogTexas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, FloridaMichael Jasny

Among the animals at greatest risk from the impacts of seismic testing is the Gulf of Mexico whale—one of the most endangered marine mammals on the planet.

Brief Filed in Lawsuit to Protect Delaware River from PCBs

May 3, 2021 Expert BlogNew Jersey, PennsylvaniaMarisa Guerrero, Julia Jonas-Day

Water quality in the Delaware River is under threat of PCB chemical pollution from a proposed liquefied natural gas export terminal. To protect the river, NRDC filed an amicus brief in a federal lawsuit challenging the facility's dredging and construction…

Latin America at the Leaders Summit on Climate

April 23, 2021 Expert BlogArgentina, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, MexicoCarolina Herrera, Jessica Carey-Webb, Marilyn Kunce, Amanda Maxwell

The five Latin American countries that participated in the Leaders Summit on Climate – Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico – displayed a broad range of ambition. Once again, some countries demonstrated their willingness to be climate action leaders while…

Holding Mexico Accountable for Vaquita Extinction

March 31, 2021 Expert BlogMexicoZak Smith

Mexico has a choice. It can save the vaquita by enforcing its laws and regulations or it can let the vaquita go extinct. It has already shown that it is inclined to choose extinction. The United States and others, like…

Spraying an Antibiotic on Citrus Groves Will Harm Worker Health

March 25, 2021 Expert BlogFloridaAllison Johnson

NRDC and our partners are suing to reverse the EPA’s dangerous decision to expand the use of medically important streptomycin as an unproven solution to citrus greening.

South Florida’s Dirty Secret Is Oil

March 18, 2021 Expert BlogFloridaAlison Kelly

As many city dwellers flee states with cold winters and expensive costs of living looking to quarantine in this paradise, there is a dirty little secret lurking in the Florida swamp—impending oil development.

For a Family in Mexico, a Mission to Protect Monarchs

February 9, 2021 DispatchMexicoNicole Greenfield

Siblings Joel, Anayeli, and Patricio Moreno see the future of their community and that of the butterflies that migrate annually to the local Cerro Pelón forest as being intimately connected.

Monarch Butterflies Struggle as Feds Delay Protection

December 15, 2020 Expert BlogMexico, United StatesDr. Sylvia Fallon

In the last six years, many voluntary efforts have been made to help boost monarch populations. Now the butterflies will have to wait even longer to receive more help.

Why Florida Needs an Offshore Drilling Ban—One That’s Permanent

December 9, 2020 DispatchFloridaRobynne Boyd

While the state can take solace in the recent moratorium extension, its waters are still at risk from the devastating impacts of seismic testing.