Stay informed

Efforts to curb agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and increase soil carbon storage are picking up steam to help mitigate the impacts of climate change. To have maximum impact, we need ways to reliably quantify their outcomes.  Direct measurement of the impacts of climate smart agricultural practices are imperative to instill confidence, but they aren’t forward-looking …

"Much of the conservation and climate change spotlight falls on tropical forests. Given this, people might forget that forests in the temperate areas — those found in large parts of North America, Europe and higher latitudes in Asia and Australia — also have the power to help limit climate change," EDF experts Amanda Leland and Steven Hamburg write in Scientific American.

Agricultural methane emissions trace a complex path through the food and dairy industries, but by asking simple questions, investors can gain insight into the enormous opportunities at hand.

Carbon markets and carbon monitoring programs track changes in cropland soil carbon stock over time to determine how agricultural management practices impact carbon storage in soil. Soil carbon stock is typically measured by taking soil samples prior to the adoption of a new farming practice, followed by additional sampling after the practice has been in …

By Lindsay Shigetomi and Kae Tuitt This week, EDF witnessed the hardworking spirit of the fleet industry at the NAFA Fleet Management Association’s Institute and Expo, where thousands of fleet professionals from all over the country gathered in San Antonio, Texas to learn, share and gain new insights into fleet operations. We saw a level …

Global market share for EVs jumped from 3% to 18% in 4 years; costs of solar and wind have dropped dramatically; venture funding has topped $50B for 3 years running, up from $17B in 2020.

Two high profile studies released this week by the National Petroleum Council paint a portrait of an industry asserting a positive role in the energy transition but struggling to act on what good science demands of it. The studies — one on natural gas, the other on hydrogen — were produced at the request of …

The process to make petrochemicals, which are found in everything from plastics to fertilizers to yoga pants, exposes nearby communities to serious health risks, like cancer and respiratory illnesses, says Tonya Calhoun of the Environmental Defense Fund, shown in front of banner on Cancer Alley in Louisiana.

Governments and regulators should recognize oil and gas mergers as an important inflexion point to ensure environmental harm is minimized and emissions are reduced.

This blog was authored by Francisco Pinto and Rodrigo Bórquez, economists of the Climate Action Teams (CAT) initiative, and by Environmental Defense Fund economist Luis Fernández Intriago. Source: Climate Action Teams Reducing emissions is imperative to address climate change. The mechanisms established in Article 6 of the Paris Agreement can serve as vital tools in …

“An Ocean of Potential” was the tagline at this year’s Our Ocean conference in Greece on April 15-17. The phrase encompasses the breadth of possibilities that the ocean holds for us. It also encapsulates EDF’s approach to supporting climate-resilient fisheries and oceans. What do we mean when we say that there is “an ocean of …

By Dakoury Godo-Solo The adoption of electric trucks is on the rise, but as fleets make the transition, the idea of switching from diesel to electricity as a fuel source can raise concerns about reliability in the event of a power outage. Thankfully, this is a manageable challenge on the road to electrification — and …

Addressing our planet’s climate crisis requires commitment, cooperation, and urgency – all underpinned by finance. But our international financial systems were not designed for a challenge of this scale, and we are falling behind in meeting the needs of developing countries in combatting climate change. 

EDF's 2024 Climate Corps fellowship program empowers a new cohort of 185+ global fellows to advance climate solutions at over 130 organizations.

We need nature-based climate solutons to work. Yet as a recent study shows, questions remain on how we can achieve the best ground-level outcomes and maximize the enormous potential of these solutions to lower greenhouse gas concentrations.

By Kae Tuitt As more and more companies transition to zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles, it is increasingly clear that the future is electric. Still, some fleet owners coordinating receipt of new electric trucks and buses may face challenges with delays arising from the potentially lengthy and opaque interconnection process of getting EV chargers …

(This post was co-authored by EDF attorney Richard Yates) The Environmental Protection Agency is soon expected to update our national protections against mercury and other toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants – pollution that is extremely dangerous to human health and has been linked to brain damage in children. EPA proposed strengthening the Mercury and …

The scale of the global freshwater crisis requires an all hands effort. Fostering diverse, sometimes difficult, partnerships — particularly between policymakers, producers, and frontline communities — is at the heart of EDF’s water program. Partnership is also at the center of an intriguing new book from Stanford law and environmental social sciences professor Barton “Buzz” …

By Maria Doa, PhD, Senior Director, Chemicals Policy, Maricel Maffini, PhD, Consultant, and Liora Fiksel, Project Manager, Healthy Communities   What happened You may have seen news or online content from FDA about chemicals in our foods, including that our food – and everything else in the world – is made up of chemicals. FDA’s …

By Anna Lóránt  The EU is striving to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. As one of the fastest warming continents in the world, with climate risks threatening its energy and food security, ecosystems, infrastructure, water resources, financial stability and people’s health (EEA, 2024), ambitious climate action is a necessity.   It’s clear that the …

As farmers in the EU protest, climate change impacts are already making food production harder. The post EU must act to protect farms and food production from climate risk first appeared on Growing Returns.

A new report from Environmental Defense Fund, ‘The Just Transition and Safeguards Framework’ offers a roadmap for countries and energy companies alike to successfully navigate the complexities of transitioning to clean energy while ensuring fairness and equity at every step of the way.

In this must-read guide, Environmental Defense Fund and Deloitte equip food companies with actionable guidance to more strategically advance ambitious climate targets aligned with the Science Based Targets initiative’s (SBTi) guidance.

Pathways for six key commodities aligned with SBTi FLAG guidance for food companies to more strategically work toward climate targets.

Nearly two years ago, the U.S. secured historic investments from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), and CHIPS and Science Act. This clean energy plan supports all the hard work being done to strengthen technology and pollution standards to advance environmental justice and health equity at all levels. It takes everyone, individuals, our elected leaders, industry and all levers of government protections to address these challenges meaningfully.