Politics
Archive
For the German climber and his family, life has changed dramatically over the past five weeks
Bill Hayes’s new book, ‘Sweat: A History of Exercise,’ offers a personal account of a universal tradition
It’s not easy being a progressive who works for a middle-of-the-road president. Mark Sundeen sizes up the interior secretary’s first year in office—which has been a disappointment to climate-change activists—and decides she’s most likely to make a mark through a historic reckoning over the U.S. government’s shameful running of Native American boarding schools.
Earth-loving New Yorkers are drawing from an unlikely arsenal of activism, hip-hop, marathon city-council Zoom meetings, and one sassy pug to hold the city to its zero-waste commitments. If they succeed, the environmental benefits could be huge.
Whether they want to or not, organizations like World Athletics and the International Olympic Committee have shed the mantle of neutrality
A ‘Washington Post’ story on Greg Gianforte’s latest hunting escapades is misleading, which is a shame, because its subject deserves much more scrutiny
The ROI Act will give rural communities the money they need to develop outdoor recreation economies
Yes, things are very bad, but there are some glimmers of hope for making meaningful progress
BLM’s first confirmed director in five years talks about access, equity, and the future of public land in the West
All over the West, a housing crisis is causing workforce shortages, crippling local businesses, and threatening the culture and existence of mountain towns as we know them. But amid the doom and gloom, some people are fighting for solutions.
Colorado’s John Hickenlooper has straddled the divide between industry and the environment. Now the U.S. senator is trying to create a climate-oriented voting bloc comprised of outdoor enthusiasts.
For decades, Deep Springs College in California resisted the push to go coed. But even though women are now allowed to attend, it still holds on to the past.
Each year an estimated 300,000 smugglers, known as ‘kolbars,’ haul millions of pounds of contraband from Iraq to Iran over the 14,000-foot peaks of the Zagros Mountains. More than 50 of them will die—shot dead, killed in accidents, or freezing to death—and countless more will be arrested and imprisoned. Alex Perry travels to Iraqi Kurdistan to investigate the roots of a trade that all but defies comprehension.
President Biden just restored the national monument’s boundaries. Now it’s time for deeper healing and restorative justice for the region’s Indigenous people.
Three days before Indigenous People’s Day, President Biden reversed the largest attack on public lands in recent history
And what it means for the future of America’s public lands
The National Park Service hasn’t had a director in four years. The Biden administration is trying to fix that but faces a host of major challenges.
Writer Jason Motlagh has been reporting in Afghanistan since 2006, which has involved developing close relationships with Afghan journalists and their families. He and a network of media colleagues are currently in a race to get more than 100 of them out of the country as the Taliban cracks down.
As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report made clear this week, we’re going to need to give up some of the things we love if we don’t want much more taken away
Democrats in Congress are pushing for a federal jobs program that would tackle climate, land use, infrastructure, and more. Here’s why it’s so urgent.
Despite GOP rhetoric, selling America’s largest rainforest to China was actually bad business
History tells us why skiing—and the outdoors in general—lacks diversity. Thanks to the work of dedicated groups, this is slowly changing.
In ‘Camping Grounds,’ Phoebe S.K. Young reminds us that sleeping outdoors is far more than just a recreational hobby
Competence wins, as Biden’s Interior Secretary acts to protect America’s last great wilderness
Here’s how President Biden plans to address climate change, pollution, and public lands in the greatest detail we’ve seen so far
One editor’s thoughts on the Asian American illusion of belonging
The state just passed a law calling for 90 percent of its wolf population to be killed. It’s based on fear and lies.
‘Head on a Swivel’ shows how running as a person of color can be an act of defiance
The 46th president made big promises to move the United States toward a carbon-free future. What he’s accomplished so far has been impressive, but can he keep up the momentum?
Gage Lorentz was pulled over for speeding on a dirt road in Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Minutes later he lay on the ground, dead from a point-blank shot to the heart. How did a trivial traffic stop lead to his death?
In Ours, a digital exhibition for the New Museum, artist Samuel Marion imagines a not too distant future in which outdoor brands use slick advertising to mask more sinister aims
With the stroke of a pen, the secretary of the interior just undid most of Trump’s harmful energy policies
In his new book, ‘The Nation of Plants,’ botanist Stefano Mancuso suggests that human democracies may have something to learn from the world’s trees and flowers
CEO Ryan Gellert says staying silent is “tantamount to supporting unjust laws”
Republican senators used the hearing to air conspiracy theories, lie, and point fingers at Biden nominee for issues they themselves are responsible for
The billionaire philanthropist has thrown his wealth at some of the world’s most intractable problems, drawing both praise and criticism along the way. His approach to tackling the climate crisis is no different.
Right-wing politicians and media are trying to scapegoat frozen wind turbines for the state’s power disaster. Their claims couldn’t be more inaccurate and irresponsible.
Despite rhetoric from Republicans, the shift toward renewable energy actually brings substantial, nationwide economic benefits—and it'll help the oil and gas industry, too
From day one, the new administration has showed itself to be in favor of protecting the wild spaces and species we love
In one fell swoop, President Biden is undoing his predecessor's most harmful work on public lands, climate change, clean air and water, and environmental justice
The end of the Trump administration can't come soon enough for our climate and public lands. Thankfully, there are a series of actions our new president can immediately take to begin undoing the damage.
Drawing only three bidders and $14 million, the administration's attempt to drill for oil in the massive Alaskan refuge is likely dead on arrival
The 35th generation New Mexican will oversee public lands, national parks, Native American affairs, and more
Can the IOC create an internationally applicable code of conduct for Olympic protest?
A quarantine backyard ultramarathon. Thousands of protesters on bikes. This year brought the unexpected in countless forms. Here’s who (and what) had the biggest impact on the outdoor world.
With a key list of Land and Water Conservation Fund projects missing, political subterfuge threatens the bipartisan legislative achievement
Today’s battles over climate change and fracking share a common origin: the timber wars of the Pacific Northwest
The marine biologist has become a leading voice in the movement by deftly communicating what few people understand: that cleaning up the planet requires a commitment to social justice
Taking care of our planet shouldn't be a partisan issue. These activist-athletes think the flag might help bridge the divide.
A lesson for the Department of the Interior staff: you can’t delete official tweets
“America’s Amazon” is being sold to China, at a huge cost to the environment, and a net loss to taxpayers
Jeremy Jones, the king of freeriding, wants to unleash the political might of the 50 million Americans who love our natural playgrounds
Even in traditionally conservative states like Montana and Wyoming, no single issue unites centrist voters in 2020 more than public-lands protection. That's one reason Montana Republican senator Steve Daines has spent the past 18 months trying to convince voters he's a reliable conservationist. Critics say it's mere "greenwashing," but his success may decide the balance of power in Washington.
It was a roller coaster of a summer for Alaska's most controversial extraction project. In July, it looked all but certain that the salmon-threatening proposal would get its first federal permit. But then things took a surprising turn.
Carbon offsets are confusing, and many people wonder how—or if—they even work. Hoping to find a more guilt-free way to travel, frequent flier Tim Neville heads to the ranchlands of Montana to see what an offset looks like on the ground. Hint: it involves cows.
A guide to key ballot measures and Senate and House races that will have huge impacts on the way we address climate change
The villainous BLM boss appears to have survived a court ouster, further threatening Trump's oil agenda
Greg Gianforte, the Republican candidate for governor, threatens the state's unique angler-access regulations
A federal court just ruled that the BLM's leader was serving illegally, with plans to reconvene next week to consider if all of his actions were illegal, too
Southern Civil War symbols have been a flash point in towns and cities for years, but at places like the Gettysburg battlefield and Arlington National Cemetery—which are run by the Park Service and the Pentagon—there's a new, escalating conflict over monuments that honor the Lost Cause
The infamous race director Lazarus Lake and runner Ben Chan disagree on whether the running community is a place for serious debate
'Common Ground,' narrated by photographer Jimmy Chin, reminds us that turning a passion for the outdoors into action requires a plan
The Ohio waterway that so famously caught on fire in 1969, inspiring the Clean Water Act, caught fire again this week
The marine biologist wants us all to start asking a new question: What does the future look like if we get it right?
We can see right through your hunting selfies
In 'The Next Great Migration,' journalist Sonia Shah explores the hidden history of human and animal movement
The National Park Service has abdicated responsibility for visitor safety, compromising local mandates and leaving staff and vendors to fend for themselves
'The Quiet Force' investigates the interdependence of mountain-town tourism and the immigrant labor force
William Perry Pendley is finally up for Senate confirmation. Here's a reminder of why he is not up to the job.
Three court decisions are a sign of the power of protest
The work must continue long after the protests end. Here's how to start.
An attempt that was fraught with complications, high jinks, and bad decisions
From iconic brands like Patagonia to that indispensable camping store in your hometown, the adventure economy has taken an unprecedented hit. The good news: the people who created these businesses are doers, and they're putting everything they've got into staying afloat and preparing for an uncertain future.
When CEO Greg Glassman retired after making inflammatory comments about George Floyd, many in the fitness community weren't surprised. But where the popular fitness business goes from here is anyone's guess.
From Houston to Minneapolis, protesters on horseback are sending a powerful message
During a week of historic decisions, the Supreme Court decided that an energy company can drill under the Appalachian Trail
"For too long, Facebook has failed to take sufficient steps to stop the spread of hateful lies and dangerous propaganda on its platform"
The women's running apparel company just signed activist Alison Désir and diversity and inclusion consultant Courtney Carter and is creating an advisory group to prioritize diverse voices
Our lands and waters are fundamental to our heritage, health, and culture. We must invest in them.
The Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act, 73 to 25, allocating billions to recreation