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

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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.

Get Ready for Climate Whiplash from DWR’s February Forecast

Expert BlogCaliforniaDoug Obegi
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation hasn’t and DWR need to reconsider the water supply allocations announced to date and limit water allocations to human health and safety until there is more certainty about how much water there will be this…

Western Climate Initiative: OR & WA Add Caps to CA's AB32

Expert BlogCalifornia, Oregon, Washington, WestRalph Cavanagh
In 2021, fifteen years after California made climate history by becoming the first US state to adopt an economy-wide carbon emissions cap, Oregon and Washington completed a West Coast hat trick by becoming the second and third. Well, almost.

California Drought: Deja Vu All Over Again

Expert BlogCaliforniaKate Poole

It’s time for California's State Water Resources Control Board and other decisionmakers to take the reins of drought management away from Department of Water Resources.

Living Among the Diesel Trucks: My Environmental Injustice Story

PerspectivesCaliforniaAndrea Guerra
To a college student who grew up surrounded by heavy truck traffic, warehouses, and commercial hubs in one of California’s most polluted communities, the push to electrify transportation is more than just urgent health policy—it’s personal.

Port of LA Revives the Environmentally Unjust SCIG Railyard

Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaHeather Kryczka

Air pollution from SCIG would exacerbate health problems, including asthma rates, cancer rates, and premature deaths, for people who are already overburdened by diesel pollution associated with the nearby San Pedro Bay Ports.

NRDC Sets Region Specific Water Targets for Each Office

Expert BlogUnited States, New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Bozeman, Beijing, San Francisco, Santa MonicaMaria McCain

NRDC has seen a steady decline in total water usage institution-wide and has taken steps to advance water stewardship.

Los Angeles Regional Board: Fix Our Stormwater Problem!

Expert BlogLos Angeles, CaliforniaCorinne Bell

This Friday, the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board will decide whether to clean up Los Angeles’s urban runoff problem, or to continue to let polluters use our waterways as their dumping grounds.

CA Must Act Now to Adapt to Hotter, Drier Climate

Expert BlogCaliforniaTracy Quinn

We shouldn't wait until our rivers and reservoirs run dry before we start to conserve; we need to save every drop possible now so it will be available to us later.

Biden Clears Way for States to Curb Vehicle Pollution

Expert BlogUnited States, California, New JerseyLuke Tonachel
President Biden is following through on his promise to re-establish the long-held authority of governors to adopt vehicle pollution regulations to protect the health and welfare of people in their states.

Victory in California

Expert BlogCalifornia, Chicago, IllinoisLauren P. Phillips
A court rules that California must stop exempting metal shredding facilities from hazardous waste laws, clearing a path to finally protect California communities from metal shredder pollution.

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.

Chance for a More Resilient and Equitable Food System in CA

Expert BlogCaliforniaLena Brook, Arohi Sharma
With AB 125, California has an opportunity to reshape our food and farming system to help protect workers in fields, kitchens, and grocery stores while providing our most vulnerable communities improved access to healthy, sustainably produced food.

Building for “a Climate Damn Emergency”

Expert BlogCaliforniaPierre Delforge
The California Energy Commission is working on its 2022 update to the state building code, which encourages all-electric new construction. NRDC and a broad coalition supports the CEC's direction, but asks it to go further to help fight the climate…