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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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

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.
Bits of plastic waste float underwater

The Worst of the Worst: High-Priority Plastic Materials, Chemical Additives, and Products to Phase Out

Fact SheetUnited States, InternationalDr. Veena Singla
Two workers installing a battery in a vehicle in an assembly plant

Building Batteries Better: Doing the Best With Less

ReportUnited StatesJordan Brinn
Reducing the amount of mining needed through improvements in battery technology, second-life applications for vehicle batteries, and better recycling is key to reducing harms caused from battery supply chains.

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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…

Burnout: E.U. Clean Energy Policies Lead to Forest Destruction

Issue paperInternationalSasha Stashwick
Countries considering new policies to replace aging fossil fuel-based energy infrastructure, both inside and outside the European Union, must rule out incentives for burning forest biomass instead of or alongside coal.

Climate Change and State-Level Health Impacts

Issue BriefUnited States, California, Colorado, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, WashingtonJuanita Constible
Climate change threatens our health. Here’s what states can do to protect us from the impacts.

Bioenergy 101

GuideInternational, United StatesCourtney Lindwall

Some people tout bioenergy as a solution to our climate crisis. But take a closer look, and this plant and animal power doesn’t actually live up to its promise.

Washington Watch

OverviewUnited States
Republican lawmakers in the 115th Congress are poised to use all the legislative tricks at their disposal to systematically dismantle a wide array of health and environmental safeguards.

Transforming Local Policies to Achieve Environmental Justice

Fact SheetUnited StatesMeleah Geertsma
Across the country, low income communities and communities of color experience disproportionate burdens from environmental hazards, unhealthy land uses, historical traumas, and other sociodemographic stressors. However, community advocates and their allies are fighting back by transforming zoning and local land-use…

Chihuahuan Desert Grasslands

OverviewMexico, United States, Canada
The largest desert in North America is home to biodiverse grasslands that store large amounts of carbon and contribute to the livelihood of millions of people. Yet, these grasslands are highly threatened by human activity and a changing climate.

Cutting It Close: How Unsustainable Logging in Canada’s Boreal Forest Threatens Indigenous Rights, Wildlife, and the Global Climate

ReportCanadaJennifer Skene, Josh Axelrod, Anthony Swift, Courtenay Lewis, Shelley Vinyard
Runaway logging in the globally-important forest violates the rights of Indigenous Peoples, devastates wildlife, and jeopardizes drinking water sources. It also puts the entire world at risk by releasing more than 26 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the…

Permafrost: Everything You Need to Know

GuideArcticMelissa Denchak

The “permanently” frozen earth at our planet’s poles and in other cold climes is thawing, with big consequences to our climate, ecosystems, and health.

Martineztown Residents Fight Inequitable Zoning Laws

Legal filingsNew Mexico, AlbuquerqueMorgan Wyenn
Under the Fair Housing Act, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is tasked with making sure recipients of its federal funds, such as the city of Albuquerque, do not discriminate on the basis of race.