Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Invenergy’s Desert Green solar farm in Borrego Springs, California Courtesy Invenergy Flat deserts, wide-open spaces, and seldom a cloud in sight—the inner American West has all the makings for generating renewable power. And despite a slow start, the region’s wind and solar industries are really taking off. Take […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Energy efficiency is often called the “invisible” or “hidden” fuel as it allows us to avoid ever having to physically generate those saved units of energy—but for the first time, this important “resource” will be recognized with its own day. Today is “EE Day.” a collaborative effort of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The Paris climate treaty just went from being an agreement to being an action—and the world will never be the same. Shutterstock It’s official: Enough countries have formally joined the Paris climate agreement for it to take effect and become fully operational. The extraordinary speed with which the […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund On the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, India formally joined the Paris Agreement to combat climate change. India’s decision to join signals the commitment to fighting one of the greatest challenges of our time. With India joining, the world is days away from crossing the threshold on ‘Entry Into […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A colony of bamboo coral found during the Northeast U.S. Canyons Expedition 2013 NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program In the summer of 2013, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) named Deep Discoverer made its maiden voyage, diving 6,000 meters into cold ocean waters off New England to explore a section […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A Community Plates volunteer’s truck packed with rescued vegetables Meaghan Sprague/MACC Community Plates Forty percent of food in the United States is thrown away every year, while an estimated 50 million Americans suffer from food insecurity. These figures are almost too high, their relationship too confounding, to fully […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A new federal public health agency report on the health risks associated with petroleum coke marks the three-year anniversary of the black clouds of dust that swept into Chicago’s Southeast Side neighborhoods from sites owned by Koch affiliate KCBX and a local company, causing a public uproar—and vindicates […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund A week ago, agricultural economist Jayson Lusk opined in the New York Times (“Why industrial farms are good for the environment”) that we should put our faith in the biggest of industrial farms to deliver us food, more sustainably, into the future. Americans may have noticed untold billions […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund This is the second blog in a special three-part series on green finance in China Annie Wang, 2016 At the close of the 2016 G20 Summit in Hangzhou last month, the G20’s Green Finance Study Group (GFSG), a group of countries and relevant international institutions chaired by China […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Guest post authored by Alexandra Kennaugh, Wildlife policy analyst As the world’s conservation experts convene in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 17th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), there is much debate about the best strategies we should use to […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Health experts know climate change threatens the mental health and well-being of millions of people, particularly children. There are few detailed studies, however, of how children react to and recover from climate-related stresses. This data gap makes it harder for health providers to support families after disasters like […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Camera trap project at Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, New Mexico J.N. Stuart/Flickr Give me a few tufts of grizzly bear fur, and I can tell you how many bruins might be in a forest. Show me a few scoops of bat guano, and I can identify […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Adams County PA Master Gardener, BBG Graduate, and NRDC Member, Audrey Hillman In a case of taking “the grass is always greener” a bit too literally, American homeowners have long strived to make their lawns brighter, lusher, and more velvety than their neighbors’. But all that competition has […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The national Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) turned 40 years old about a month ago, and there’s a lot to celebrate. The program, which got its start during the energy crisis of the 1970s, has made more than 7 million low-income homes considerably more energy efficient, saving cash-strapped, single-family […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Where There’s Smoke, There’s Fire, or All Smoke and Mirrors? With much fanfare, the Republican staff of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last week trumpeted its release of a “report” purporting to show that the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers overzealously enforce […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund © David Siu Recently, the United States placed a near-complete ban on ivory sales. China has promised to follow suit. And France recently joined the fray. But what about the rest of the world? Today, the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) addressed […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Co-authored with Bhaskar Deol This is huge news: India—not long ago a reluctant player on the global climate stage—is poised to become a key country putting the Paris Climate Agreement over the top, translating the promise of Paris into actions that we need to protect our future. Prime […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The Environmental Protection Agency took new actions this week to reduce the use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the super-potent climate pollutants found in air conditioners, refrigerators, supermarket freezers, and other uses. EPA approved several new climate-friendlier alternatives and announced deadlines to end certain uses of the most harmful HFCs. […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Poachers have made the small, shy pangolin into the most trafficked mammal in the world. It desperately needs human defenders—and yesterday those defenders came through. A ground pangolin searching for ants iStock Yesterday in Johannesburg, pangolins — animals that very much prefer to keep to themselves — hesitantly stepped into the international limelight. […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund At last, the Clean Power Plan has had its day in court. On Tuesday, 10 judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit heard nearly seven hours of oral argument – twice the scheduled time – in the case challenging EPA’s first-ever limits […]