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. 

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Why the World Must Commit to Protecting 30 Percent of the Planet (30x30)

Fact SheetUnited States, InternationalLauren Kubiak, Zak Smith, Lisa Speer, Brendan Guy, Jennifer Skene, Paul Todd
Nature is in crisis. A million species worldwide currently face extinction, many within decades, and human actions are causing ecosystems to crumble on land and on sea. We must take immediate actions to protect the natural world—and in doing so…

Water Webinars 2020: Sharing Experiences Across the Americas

OverviewChile, Mexico, United States, CaliforniaAmanda Maxwell, Ed Osann, Tracy Quinn, Corinne Bell, Becky Hammer, Claire O'Connor, Joan Leary Matthews
NRDC and local partners are organizing a series of webinars about ensuring that more people and ecosystems are able to access clean water.

Get the Lead Out of Drinking Water in Schools and Child Care Centers

OverviewUnited StatesJoan Leary Matthews, Kristi Pullen Fedinick, Mae Wu, Erik D. Olson
NRDC has developed model state legislation that would require schools and child care centers to install filters on drinking water taps, conduct lead testing, and remediate problems.

Commercial Whaling 101

GuideInternationalLauren Evans

Despite an international ban on commercial whaling since 1986, the animals are still being hunted and killed across the world’s oceans, with devastating impacts on global populations.

Watered Down Justice

ReportUnited StatesKristi Pullen Fedinick
While the Safe Drinking Water Act guarantees all Americans access to clean, drinkable water, it hasn’t worked out that way in practice.

Toxic Drinking Water: The PFAS Contamination Crisis

Fact SheetUnited StatesDr. Anna Reade
Despite the known health risks of PFAS, no enforceable national drinking water standards have been set. We cannot wait for the federal government to respond. To address the extraordinary health threat posed to people across the country from widespread PFAS-contaminated…

Unintentional Partner: How the United States Helps the Illegal Shark Fin Market

ReportUnited StatesElizabeth Murdock, Vanessa Villanueva
In recent decades, shark populations have suffered steep declines, due primarily to the lucrative market for shark fins, both legal and illegal. NRDC found that the United States plays a substantial, unrecognized role in facilitating the unsustainable international shark fin…

A Better Future Through Protecting America’s Ocean Habitats

Fact SheetUnited StatesAlison Chase
Overexploitation and pollution has stressed our ocean, and acidification and temperature rises are harming marine life and impacting all of us who rely on the ocean for food, jobs, and recreation. We must act now to protect important ocean habitats.

Keystone Species 101

GuideInternational, United StatesMelissa Denchak
From coastal tide pools and rolling prairies to African savanna and arctic terrain, the earth is home to myriad ecosystems, each one regulated by interlinking parts, including the creatures that call them home.

Freshwater Harmful Algal Blooms 101

GuideUnited StatesMelissa Denchak, Melanie Sturm

Ugly, foul-smelling and sometimes toxic, algal blooms are becoming more common in freshwater ecosystems like rivers, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. Here’s a look at how excess algae can impact the environment—and human health.

Connectivity and Conservation: Grizzly Bears in the Lower 48

OverviewUnited States, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho
These interactive maps discuss the issue of grizzly bear conservation and present potential corridors that could help reconnect the Yellowstone grizzlies with populations to the north.

Wildlife Trade 101

GuideInternational, United StatesChia-Yi Hou

Wildlife trade is big business, with wild plants, animals, and products made from them sold around the globe, legally and illegally. It’s also a leading cause of the planet’s accelerating biodiversity crisis and resultant ecosystem collapse.

Fracking 101

GuideTexas, Pennsylvania, New York, California, North Dakota, FloridaMelissa Denchak
Hydraulic fracturing has upended the global energy landscape and made fossil fuels big business in the United States. Mounting evidence shows that it poses serious threats to our health, environment, and climate future. Here’s a look at the fracking boom…