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

Single-Use Plastics 101

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?

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

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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The Issue with Tissue

ReportCanadaAshley Jordan, Shelley Vinyard, Jennifer Skene
Tissue products such as toilet paper, paper towels, and facial tissue are cheap and convenient—but they cost the planet a great deal.

State-Based Food Waste Policy Gap Analysis and Inventory Reports

ReportMaryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, ColoradoDarby Hoover, Yvette Cabrera
Food waste costs the US $408 billion each year. Producing food that we do not consume swallows up roughly 18 percent of America’s cropland and 14 percent of our fresh water, and generates about 270 million metric tons CO2 equivalent…

NRDC Experts and Events at COP27

OverviewInternational, Canada, India, United StatesManish Bapna, Amanda Maxwell, Brendan Guy, Carolina Herrera, Joe Thwaites, Shruti Shukla, Sameer Kwatra, Anthony Swift, Khalil Shahyd, Lisa Speer, Jennifer Skene, Nan Zeng, Jake Schmidt, Douglass Sims, Marissa Ramirez, Prima Madan
Analysis and events focusing on the concrete steps we need to cut global emissions in half in this decisive decade, and to adapt to the mounting climate change impacts we can no longer avoid.

Fighting for Safe Drinking Water in Flint

OverviewMichigan, Flint
Partnering with NRDC and ACLU, residents of Flint, Michigan took their local government to court in a battle for safe drinking water.

NRDC Experts and Events at COP26

OverviewUnited States, International, Canada, IndiaManish Bapna, Sarah Dougherty, Brendan Guy, Carolina Herrera, Sameer Kwatra, Jennifer Skene, Lisa Speer, Anthony Swift, Charlotte Steiner, Jake Schmidt, Douglass Sims
NRDC joins the United Nations global climate talks to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, drive commitments to green finance, and promote nature-based solutions.

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative Is a Model for the Nation

OverviewConnecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, VirginiaBruce Ho
RGGI's functions as a model for other states and regions hoping to reap economic, health, and social benefits in the transition to clean energy we need to combat climate change.

Lead Pipes Are Widespread and Used in Every State

SurveyUnited States, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, MinnesotaErik D. Olson, Alexandra Stubblefield
An NRDC survey estimates that there are at least 12.8 million water pipes that are, or may be, lead, spread across the entire country. Use our map to find out about your state.

Food Matters Regional Initiative

OverviewAtlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Jersey City, Madison, Memphis, Nashville, North Carolina, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, D.C.
Cities are addressing food waste in a holistic way—through prevention, rescue, and recycling.

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…

Tar Sands in the Atlantic Ocean: Transcanada’s Proposed Energy East Pipeline

ReportCanadaJosh Axelrod, Anthony Swift
TransCanada—which was thwarted in its effort to drive Keystone XL through America’s heartland—is now pursuing a project that would effectively create a waterborne tar sands pipeline that would threaten the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts. This proposed Canadian pipeline, Energy…

What's in Your Water? Flint and Beyond

ReportUnited States, Michigan, FlintErik D. Olson, Kristi Pullen Fedinick
The devastating lead contamination of the tap water in Flint, Michigan highlights potentially disastrous gaps in the provision of safe drinking water to all Americans—especially the most vulnerable.