In Depth Articles

Stop Electrocuting Patagonia
Index

Chile's Patagonia, one of the most pristine places left on the planet, is being threatened by plans for a massive hydro-electric scheme that calls for dams to be built on the region's largest rivers and for construction of the world's longest power transmission line. NRDC is working local, national, and international partners to bring smarter solutions and viable alternatives to discussions on the future of this treasured region.

Smart Cities
Policy Papers

During the next two decades, the number of Chinese residents migrating from rural to urban areas will be roughly equivalent to the relocation of the entire current population of the United States. As China's own leaders recognize, without careful planning this urban transformation may bring disastrous consequences. Grounded in experiences in both the United States and China, this December 2007 issue paper provides a comprehensive set of recommendations for the implementation of smart growth strategies that promote more efficient use of land, services, and resources.

Accelerating the Greening of China
Index

In the past three decades, China's explosive growth has resulted in serious environmental problems with impacts far beyond China's borders. NRDC is working with key Chinese government agencies, research institutes, lawyers and environmental groups to help promote cutting-edge environmental solutions in China. These factsheets describe NRDC's work to help address some of China's most pressing environmental challenges.

World Conservation Congress Sets New Priorities for Global Conservation
Fact Sheet

A summary of the November 2004 meeting of the World Conservation Congress in Bangkok, Thailand, where delegates from around the world passed more than 100 motions that included calls for stronger protections for marine life, ocean ecosystems and the boreal forest.

Toward a Clean Energy Future in China
Index

Clean energy is a cornerstone of China's future -- sustainable energy development will bring tremendous social, economic and environmental benefits to the people of the world's largest nation. This index collects policy papers and other technical documents from NRDC's clean-energy experts.

America's Gas Tank: The High Cost of Canada's Oil and Gas Export Strategy
Report

Canada, not Saudi Arabia, is the single largest supplier of oil and gas to the United States. This October 2002 report from NRDC and the Sierra Club of Canada shows that U.S. demand for fossil fuels is destroying Canadian air, land and water resources, and recommends that Canada aggressively adopt renewable energy sources, protect wilderness areas from fossil fuel exploitation, and pass tougher laws to limit pollution from the oil and gas industry.

Subtracting Sulfur: Reducing Diesel Sulfur Levels to Reduce Urban Pollution
Policy Papers

NRDC's Dump Dirty Diesels Campaign is calling on countries around the world to cut sulfur levels in diesel fuel to near zero by the end of the decade. Sulfur contributes to the ill effects of diesel's soot emissions -- effects that include elevated rates of asthma attacks, lung disease, heart disease, cancer and even premature death. At the same time, sulfur impairs emission-control devices that can remove most of the pollution from diesel cars, trucks and buses on the road today. This February 2002 report not only shows why cleaning up "dirty diesel" makes so much sense -- it also outlines how this can be achieved and the likely economic benefits of stripping sulfur from worldwide diesel supplies.

The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development
Fact Sheet

An assessment of the 2002 Johannesburg summit, which drew more than 100 presidents and prime ministers, and some 20,000 officials, reporters, environmentalists and activists from more than 190 nations. According to NRDC staff who attended, the event provided an unprecedented forum to initiate concrete projects to address economic advancement, social development and environmental protection -- the three pillars of sustainable development. At the same time, though, it highlighted the failure of U.S. leadership in strengthening international environmental norms and institutions.

See the NRDC Policy Solutions section for more expert analysis of environmental issues. You may also wish to view the working materials in the NRDC Document Bank