Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Flooding in Louisiana – Aug. 2016| Photo Credit: USDA.gov Floods risks are increasing nationwide. The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), created in 1968 to reduce the Nation’s flood exposure through a unique combination of land use standards and federally-subsidized insurance, is a crucial tool in the nation’s arsenal […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Every year, we depend on volunteers like you to help clean beaches and waterways and protect our ocean from the impacts of plastic and trash. In fact, nearly 12 million of you have participated in the last 30 years, and together, we’ve cleaned up more than 210 million pounds of trash! And […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Samuel Zeller/Unsplash After a turbulent start to his Administration, President Trump is looking for ways to change the national conversation. With controversies swirling, and following a deeply unpopular decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, this week the Administration is beginning to talk about its infrastructure agenda. […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy by Alan Barton, Production Manager, Whiskey Creek Shellfish Hatchery, Netarts Bay, OR Life working in an oyster hatchery is, at its core, just like any other type of farming. We’re largely at the mercy of our environment, and each season is full of peaks and valleys. But in the fall of 2007, […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Rainbow Mountain Wilderness, Nevada Bob Wick/BLM It’s a lesser-known inconvenient truth: Despite an overall shift to cleaner energy sources, the United States wastes about two-thirds of the energy it produces. That ratio doesn’t sit well with lawmakers in Nevada, who are hoping to commit the Silver State […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The scientific and economic case for climate action grows only more compelling. Over the past decade, scientists have developed an increasingly firm understanding of the links between climate change and public health, agriculture, transportation and infrastructure, and extreme weather. As one example, exceptionally heavy rains and flash floods […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Nellis AFB Solar panels Governor Brian Sandoval of Nevada has always understood the importance of clean energy to Nevadans and their future. He championed the early closure and replacement of the coal-fired Reid Gardner power plant. He got Nevada the world’s largest battery factory. He built a network of electric […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Lourdes Ferris is Executive Director of Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful and coordinates an annual cleanup as part of Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). Wonder what ends up on our beaches and in our waterways? Check out the results of last year’s ICC. I began my job as Executive Director of Keep […]
Published by the World Wildlife Fund In a disturbing and growing new trend, Asian elephants of all ages are being slaughtered in Myanmar for their skin and other body parts. Elephant poaching rates since January have already surpassed the annual average for the country—in a country that has less than 2,000 wild Asian elephants, this is […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The seismic exploration permits it has proposed would authorize energy companies to blast Atlantic waters with air guns and harm marine mammals. Leo Francini/Alamy Stock Photo In a first step toward drilling off the Atlantic coast, the National Marine Fisheries Service proposed to issue five permits—known as Incidental […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard requires electricity providers like NV Energy to buy a minimum amount of electricity from renewable sources like solar, geothermal, and wind. Assembly Bill 206, sponsored by Assemblyman Chris Brooks, would increase the renewable standard so that it requires electricity providers to get 40 percent […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund Just hours after President Trump announced his reckless decision to abandon the Paris climate agreement, governors across the country stepped forward to fill the vacuum. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, California Governor Jerry Brown and Washington Governor Jay Inslee announced the formation of the US Climate Alliance, a […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund We think approving the expansion of a massive new open pit strip mine in Utah, wedged between Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks, is a bad idea. You can read the details on why here. The point of this blog is lay out the history and timeline of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has proposed permits for large-scale seismic oil and gas exploration off the mid-Atlantic and south Atlantic coasts. This move overlooks the best available scientific evidence, which shows that noise from seismic airguns poses significant harm to marine mammals, and a wide array of […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The EPA’s move to deregulate methane leaks puts communities across the country at risk—and it’s against the law. Nik Zane/Flickr Late last week, on the heels of the president’s reckless decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate agreement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund JRC, Inc./Alamy Shortly after the Civil War, Atlanta hit a growth spurt. Its roads followed the area’s railroad system, and the city grew outward from the center in hubs and spokes. This, unfortunately, was a blueprint for nightmarish traffic problems in the future. In about two decades, the […]
Published by Ocean Conservancy Last year, extraordinary volunteers from all over the world came together to clean our beaches and waterways during the International Coastal Cleanup. We kept track of every piece of trash collected, and after months of crunching numbers, we’re ready to share the results. I am thrilled to share with you the 2017 International […]
Published by the World Wildlife Fund More than 1,000 US governors, mayors, businesses, investors, and colleges and universities assembled today to reaffirm their commitment to climate action and declare they will continue to pursue ambitious emissions reductions despite the Trump administration’s decision to pull out of an unprecedented and essential international agreement to curb climate change. […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund The decision to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement was, as expected, widely critiqued by governments in Latin America. Over the past several years, several countries in the region have been vocal advocates of the need for ambitious global action on climate change. This willingness to take […]
Published by the Natural Resources Defense Fund June is Orca Awareness Month, a time to show appreciation for our beloved orcas and to encourage a culture of stewardship to protect these majestic animals and their fragile habitat. Late last year, the Southern Resident orcas lost their long-time leader, Granny, who lived to be 105 years […]