A child wading in clear water water picking up something from the water and holding an object in their other hand, with the legs of an adult behind her

Be a Force for the Future

NRDC brings together science, policy, law, and people power to tackle the climate crisis, defend public lands and wildlife, and protect the health of our communities.

JOIN OUR 3 MILLION MEMBERS AND ACTIVISTS: Subscribe to take action to safeguard the earth.

A Legacy of Impact

For more than 50 years, NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has been shaping critical environmental policies around the world, ensuring those policies are upheld and holding polluters accountable.

2tr+

Gallons of gasoline saved since 1975, thanks to federal clean transportation rules

1,100

Deaths avoided annually since implementing the heat action plan in Ahmedabad, India

$97m

Legal settlement to examine and replace the water lines in Flint, Michigan

Building a Better Future

Help us ensure the rights of all people to clean air, clean water, and healthy communities.

The Latest

A blue whale swimming through the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.

Blue Whales Ply the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts; Industry Could Soon Too

An illustration of a home with a heat pump outside with the words Heat pumps keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter"

What Are Heat Pump Air Conditioners?

NRDC staff and donors take a boat ride to a snorkeling area in the Gulf of California, Mexico.

A Snorkeler’s-Eye View of the Gulf of California

Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corporation, speaks during a climate initiative event at the Microsoft Corp. campus in Redmond, Washington, on January 16, 2020. Microsoft unveiled plans to invest $1 billion to back companies and organizations working on technologies to remove or reduce carbon from the earth's atmosphere, saying efforts to merely emit less carbon aren't enough to prevent catastrophic climate change.

The Carbon Removal Market Can Work—If We Build It Right

A fire truck drives past flames from the Hughes Fire in Castaic, California, on January 22, 2025.

Trump’s EPA Declares It’s “Futile” to Fight Climate Change

A massive Google data center under construction in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, England, on May 31, 2025.

The Global AI Buildout Needs Energy Transition Guardrails

A walrus and its young calf resting on an ice floe in Frozen Strait near Vansittart Island in Nunavut Territory, Canada.

From Whales to Walruses, Sea Mammals Are Under Attack—and So Is the Law That Protects Them

Sunset over the Green River in Utah

The Public Lands Rule Falls Victim to the Dirty Energy Agenda

Exhaust blows out of flue-gas stacks at Mill Creek Generating Station, a coal-fired power plant outside of Louisville, Kentucky, on February 14, 2026.

The Pollution That Causes Acid Rain Is Back on the Rise

Farmland encroaching on prairie potholes in North Dakota.

America’s Troubled Waters

Jasmine Valdovinos at her family’s home in Oakland, California, on May 1st, 2026.

My Quest for Energy Affordability and Housing Justice Is Both Personal and Professional

Our Work

A large cloud of wildfire smoke covering trees in Boise National Forest

Climate Change

The power to reverse this crisis lies with us.
Explore Issue Climate Change
A woman speaking through a megaphone with people holding signs behind her

Equity & Justice

The environmental movement must seek justice.
Explore Issue Equity & Justice
A young child facing the camera while drinking a glass of water

Human Health

Health is at the forefront of our fight for a sustainable, equitable world.
Explore Issue Human Health
A sea turtle swimming underwater among a school of fish

Nature & Wildlife

In order for people to thrive, nature must too.
Explore Issue Nature & Wildlife
Kyuta Pineda, 2, filling a water bottle in the kitchen sink at his home in Brooklyn, New York City.
Petition

Tell the EPA to keep PFAS out of drinking water

PFAS are called “forever chemicals” because they don't easily break down in the environment and can accumulate in our bodies. Scientists have linked them to serious health problems—yet, the EPA is proposing to eliminate standards for four PFAS and delay the standards for two additional PFAS. Submit a public comment before July 20.

TAKE ACTION
A caribou on green grass
Petition

ConocoPhillips, Shell, Repsol, ExxonMobil, and more are eyeing the Arctic Refuge for drilling

The Trump administration opened up 1.56 million acres of the Arctic Refuge for fossil fuel giants like ConocoPhillips, Shell, Repsol, and ExxonMobil to make potential bids for oil and gas drilling. Tell oil and gas CEOs: No drilling in the Arctic Refuge.

ACT NOW