Growing Returns

Nitrogen is essential for life, but excess nitrogen can pollute the atmosphere and water. This has a huge impact on human and ecosystem health, as well as financial losses to farmers from fertilizer — which is at a record high price — that ultimately won’t be utilized by crops. EDF’s new N Balance Implementation Guide […]

As communities in southwest Florida, Puerto Rico and elsewhere in the Caribbean struggle to recover from the damages of an active hurricane season, efficient, proactive resilience solutions have never been more important.

Authors: Vincent Gauthier (EDF), Tee Thomas (Quantified Ventures) The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will invest more than $44 billion in the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds, or SRFs, presenting a tremendous opportunity to finance natural infrastructure solutions that can improve water quality and protect communities against flooding. While natural infrastructure can be a […]

Farmers have a long history of steadily increasing crop yields through technological innovation and improvements in management practices. However, as climate change makes weather more extreme and variable than ever before, productivity progress will likely stall by 2030 — even if the U.S. maintains past rates of R&D investment and innovation. Adaptation efforts must begin […]

As the UN climate conference kicks off in Egypt, food and agriculture are central to negotiations for the first time. More severe droughts, warmer temperatures and heavier rainfall fueled by climate change are making it harder than ever for the world’s one billion farmers to grow food and fiber. While some farms and regions are […]

New York State passes the historic Clean Water, Clean Air, and Green Jobs Environmental Bond Act of 2022 (Proposal One).

Natural climate solutions, such as reforestation and wetland restoration, can help slow climate change and increase resilience in the face of climate impacts we can’t avoid.

These approaches have substantial and growing support from bipartisan lawmakers, the private sector and environmental nonprofits. However, big questions remain: Where are these strategies most effective? To what extent can they meaningfully remove and reduce greenhouse gases? How will increased drought, fire and pest outbreaks impact their ability to stave off climate change?

Arianna Mackey, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) Summer 2022 Intern, shares her perspectives on how NGOs can inspire the next generation of Black climate leaders.

As we gear up for COP27, we need to realize how far we have to go when it comes to global food security.

In January 2022, global farmer-to-farmer network and ag tech company Farmers Business Network®, launched a new rebate program for farm operating loans. The Regenerative Agriculture Finance Operating Line program includes a 0.5% interest rate rebate for farmers who achieve climate and water quality benchmarks established by Environmental Defense Fund. Both farmers who already meet the benchmarks, […]

New legislation shows that the U.S. is serious about reducing climate risks and expanding opportunities in rural communities.

Scientists agree that agricultural soils can be part of the climate solution, but their estimates about how much soils could slow warming vary widely.

The Iowa Watershed Approach offers a strategy for reducing flood risk and improving water quality in the state of Iowa.

A “Finding Common Water” rafting excursion developed by EDF and UC Merced was designed to get participants with a stake in California water off our desk chairs and onto rafts, out of the ordinary and into an extraordinary setting — a hot, highly regulated, wild and scenic river —  to push everyone out of their comfort zone and get to work on addressing real water problems.

After months of negotiations, the Arizona Legislature passed a major water spending plan last month with funding for new conservation efforts to address deteriorating water supply conditions. However, for the fourth year in a row, state leaders failed to pass legislation to address unlimited groundwater pumping, missing an opportunity to enable a water secure future for 1.5 million rural residents and the state as a whole.

Direct emission reductions from natural and agricultural systems coupled with equity and efficiency can address multiple sustainability goals.

These are the three key things that successful applications had in common.

Why we need a scientific analysis of how social systems in Louisiana adapt to extreme climate impacts.

While Virginia’s General Assembly concluded its 2022 legislative session with several successes, more work is needed – particularly in securing long-term funding for flood resilience, to protect people and natural resources from flood threats now and in the future.

As we close out American Wetlands Month, here are six reasons why one of nature's richest ecosystems provide value to our lives every month of the year.