natural resources defense council

Beauty and Despair Collide in These Murals of the Great Lakes

Beauty and Despair Collide in These Murals of the Great Lakes

By Clara Chaisson With loons and trout alongside allegorical monsters, the fantastical murals at the center of artist Alexis Rockman’s new exhibition don’t just look like a dream sequence; they are a dream come true. Alexis Rockman: The Great Lakes Cycle emerged out of a 2013 phone call with Rockman’s longtime friend and collaborator Dana […]

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    Trump’s ‘Hold’ on Elephant Trophies May Not Be Enough

    Trump’s ‘Hold’ on Elephant Trophies May Not Be Enough

    As many of you may have heard by now, President Donald Trump tweeted, and Interior Sec. Ryan Zinke reiterated, a decision late Friday night to put elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe “on hold” out of the belief that “conservation and healthy herds are critical.” This follows the administration’s decision, on Thursday, to allow such imports […]

    Congress: Biggest Attack on Marine Mammals in Decades

    Congress: Biggest Attack on Marine Mammals in Decades

    By Michael Jasny On Thursday, the House Natural Resources Committee passed a bill, called the “SECURE American Energy Act” (H.R. 4239), that can only be described as an oil industry wish-list. The bill’s purpose is to mow down environmental concerns that stand in the way of the complete exploitation of fossil fuels in this country. […]

    WHO Releases New Guidelines to Curb Antibiotic Overuse, Resistance

    WHO Releases New Guidelines to Curb Antibiotic Overuse, Resistance

    By David Wallinga, MD As antibiotic resistance spreads worldwide, the calls get more urgent to stop squandering our most precious medicines, in both human medicine and in livestock. Just released Tuesday are new recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO)—the leading international public health authority—on how the medically important antibiotics given to food animals can […]

    Scientists Discover a New—and Endangered—Orangutan Species

    Scientists Discover a New—and Endangered—Orangutan Species

    By Jason Bittel Scientists have discovered a new orangutan species in the mountainous forests of northern Sumatra. Of course, the Tapanuli orangutan has been here for quite a while—but it’s new to us! “Discovering a new species of great ape in this day and age just shows how little we know about the world around […]

    Fate of National Monuments Remains Shrouded in Secrecy: Earthjustice Sues Federal Agencies for Withholding Information From Public

    Fate of National Monuments Remains Shrouded in Secrecy: Earthjustice Sues Federal Agencies for Withholding Information From Public

    For months, the Interior Department, Bureau of Land Management and the White House Council on Environmental Quality have repeatedly failed to answer the public’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for information related to the Trump administration’s ongoing review of national monuments—protected federal lands and waters that belong to the American people. The review of […]

    Trump to Shrink Utah National Monuments to Allow Drilling, Mining

    Trump to Shrink Utah National Monuments to Allow Drilling, Mining

    The Trump administration will shrink two national monuments in Utah including the 1.3 million-acre Bears Ears National Monument, opening the lands up for potential industry use. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) confirmed in a Friday statement that Trump called the senator to inform him of the Bears Ears decision and that he will also shrink Utah’s […]

    Dogs Are a Kiwi’s Best Friend (and Worst Enemy)

    Dogs Are a Kiwi’s Best Friend (and Worst Enemy)

    By Jason Bittel The kiwi is a small, flightless bird that spends most of the day underground. At night, these needle-billed, chicken-size floofs emerge to hunt insects, crayfish, seeds and fruit, but as they waddle through New Zealand’s forests, they create invisible scent trails. By morning, kiwis have often unwittingly led a predator back to […]

    Anthony Bourdain Tackles Food Waste in New Documentary

    Anthony Bourdain Tackles Food Waste in New Documentary

    By Eva Perroni A new documentary from chef and television personality Anthony Bourdain, WASTED! The Story of Food Waste explores both the problem of food waste in the U.S. and possible solutions from around the globe. The documentary features renowned chefs and food leaders, including Dan Barber, Mario Batali, Massimo Bottura, Danny Bowien and Dr. […]