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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Natural Gas 101

GuideUnited StatesBrian Palmer

An overview of gas, pollution, and climate change.

What Is Environmental Racism?

GuideUnited States, InternationalMaudlyne Ihejirika
This form of systemic racism disproportionately burdens communities of color.

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…

Industrial Agriculture 101

GuideUnited StatesNRDC

Giant farms—whether growing crops or animals—often rely heavily on chemicals and produce waste that pollutes the water and air. As a result, the system we’ve designed to feed the planet also takes a serious toll on its health.

The Clean Air Act 101

GuideUnited StatesShelia Hu

Since its bipartisan beginnings, this bedrock law has helped keep our air clean, combat climate change, and protect public health.

Causes and Effects of Lead in Water

GuideUnited States, Flint, Michigan, IllinoisKeith Mulvihill

How this harmful neurotoxin got into our taps and what it’ll take to get it out.

Air Pollution: Everything You Need to Know

GuideUnited States, InternationalJillian Mackenzie, Jeff Turrentine
How smog, soot, greenhouse gases, and other top air pollutants are affecting the planet—and your health.

What Are the Effects of Climate Change?

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.

Flint Water Crisis: Everything You Need to Know

GuideFlintMelissa Denchak
After officials repeatedly dismissed claims that Flint’s water was making people sick, residents took action. Here’s how the lead contamination crisis unfolded—and what we can learn from it.

Connecting Communities and Science at American Geophysical Union 2020

ResourceKristi Pullen Fedinick, Meleah Geertsma, Marisa Guerrero, Yukyan Lam
The Union of Concerned Scientists and NRDC co-convened a panel to connect the latest research—especially on the disparate and cumulative environmental burdens affecting low-income communities and communities of color—to effective policymaking for environmental justice.

Community Clean Mobility Programs Under ACC II

Fact SheetUnited States, New JerseyYeh-Tang Huang, Kathy Harris

Best practices for designing community-based clean mobility programs under the Advanced Clean Cars II rule, in New Jersey and beyond

Jackson Water Crisis

Fact SheetMississippi, JacksonSarah Tallman, Kimberly Leefatt
The drinking water system in Jackson, Mississippi, has suffered from serious safety and reliability problems for decades. Despite recent attention from federal officials, including a lawsuit filed against the city of Jackson in late 2022, the water system’s problems have…

Climate Change Threatens Health

OverviewUnited States, InternationalDr. Kim Knowlton
Climate change is one of the most serious public health threats facing the nation, but few people are aware of how it can affect them. Children, the elderly, and communities living in poverty are among the most vulnerable.