Data, Reports & Resources

NRDC is a leader and trusted source in environmental policy and research.

From reports to issue briefs, we ensure accountability through peer review led by our Science Office, which provides data and scientific analysis that help shape and guide NRDC’s policies and positions. We also offer a range of other resources, such as 101 guides and consumer-focused scorecards to increase access to knowledge about how everyone can be a catalyst for change.

A plastic cup among a pile of wet leaves and branches on the ground

Single-Use Plastics 101

April 30, 2024 GuideUnited StatesCourtney Lindwall

Here’s everything you need to know about the most ubiquitous (and avoidable) kind of plastic waste: the kind made to be tossed in mere minutes.

A pipe sits atop dirt next to a building

Will Funds for Water Infrastructure Flow Fairly?

April 29, 2024 ReportUnited StatesBecky Hammer, Erik D. Olson

These report cards grade all 50 states on water funding equity.

A view of the cross-section of a cut water pipe

Getting the Lead Out: Removing Lead Pipes Would Yield Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in Health Benefits

October 25, 2023 Issue BriefUnited StatesErik D. Olson

Removing lead service lines could save the United States an estimated $786 billion from avoided health impacts over the next 35 years.

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Draft IRIS Toxicological Review of Perfluorodecanoic Acid - Comments (PDF)

June 9, 2023 Comments

Scientific comments were submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) program on the Draft Toxicological Review of Perfluorodecanoic Acid (PFDA) .

Federal Drinking Water Monitoring Overlooks Many PFAS

April 12, 2023 Fact SheetUnited StatesDr. Anna Reade, Dr. Katie Pelch

Community-led water testing finds dangerous levels of PFAS that the EPA does not test for.

The First 10 Years: Measuring the Success of California’s Underwater Parks

February 16, 2023 Fact SheetUnited States, CaliforniaAnupa Asokan

There are positive signs that California’s marine protected areas network is promoting ecosystem health by supporting biodiversity; providing refuge for more, bigger, and older fish; and even showing attributes of climate resilience.

The Essential-Use Approach: A Policy Tool for Reducing Exposures to Toxic Chemicals

January 31, 2023 Issue BriefUnited StatesDr. Anna Reade

Exposure to toxic chemicals in consumer and industrial products and the environment puts people at increased risk of disease and death. The idea of the essential-use approach is not to ban products, but to phase out all non-essential uses of…

Letter to U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan on EPA’s Definition of PFAS (PDF)

January 3, 2023 Letters

A letter from NRDC, PEER, SELC, and Earthjustice urging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt an Agency-wide science-based definition of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) that is based on the hazard characteristic of persistence that defines the full...

Fixing a Broken Planet: The Pathway Toward a Transformative Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)

November 30, 2022 OverviewInternationalPaul Todd, Zak Smith

Only a fundamental, system-wide reorganization across technological, economic and social factors, including paradigms, goals and values, will produce the changes we need to secure life as we know it.

Building Climate-Ready Fisheries and Fishing Communities

November 8, 2022 Issue BriefUnited StatesDr. Lisa Suatoni, Molly Masterton

Warming waters are driving a mass migration of life beneath the sea—and a decades-old fishery law cannot keep up without climate-ready science and policy.

What Are the Effects of Climate Change?

October 24, 2022 GuideUnited States, InternationalCourtney Lindwall

A rapidly warming planet poses an existential threat to all life on earth. Just how bad it gets depends on how quickly we act.

Chemicals to Avoid When You’re Pregnant or Breastfeeding

October 17, 2022 GuideUnited StatesCorey Binns

A guide to choosing the right products for baby and you.

Recycling Lies: “Chemical Recycling” of Plastic Is Just Greenwashing Incineration

September 7, 2022 Issue BriefUnited StatesDr. Veena Singla

As public concern grows about mountains of plastic trash, the plastics industry is promoting technologies that it misleadingly calls “chemical recycling” and touts as a solution to the plastic crisis. But it is a false solution that will not solve…

A Healthy Ocean for All: The Promise of 30x30 for California

September 1, 2022 Fact SheetUnited States, CaliforniaDr. Lisa Suatoni, Anupa Asokan

California’s waters belong to all Californians. We all have a stake in ensuring its protection.

30x30: NRDC’s Commitment to Protect Nature and Life on Earth

August 9, 2022 OverviewInternational, United States

We have the tools to create a better, healthier future for our planet—and ourselves—but we must act now.

Californian Views of Banning PFAS in Clothing and Textiles

July 15, 2022 PollingUnited States, California

Biodiversity 101

April 22, 2022 GuideInternational, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

How do we define and measure biodiversity—and just why is it so important?

Going Out of Fashion: U.S. Apparel Manufacturers Must Eliminate PFAS “Forever Chemicals” From Their Supply Chains

April 6, 2022 ReportUnited StatesSujatha Bergen, Yiliqi

Comments on EPA’s Draft Toxicological Review for PFHxA and Related Salts (PDF)

April 4, 2022 Comments

Scientific comments were submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Integrated Risk Information System program on the Draft Toxicological Review of Perfluorohexanoic Acid (PFHxA) .

NRDC Comments on Oregon’s Proposed Workplace Heat and Wildfire Smoke Standards, March 2022 (PDF)

March 17, 2022 Comments

NRDC which has nearly 20,000 supporters in Oregon, wholeheartedly supports the development of strong, enforceable occupational heat and smoke standards by Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration.