Policy Solutions: Fact Sheets

Featured Fact Sheets

Investing in Our Recovery

Enacting a cap and trade system to limit global warming pollution is an essential component of a comprehensive plan to repower America.

Oil Shale by the Numbers

Dirty fuels won't solve America's energy crisis. Oil shale production requires massive amounts of electric resources, while sapping huge quantities of water from the arid West.

Temperatures Rising: Global Warming Turns up the Heat on Human Health

High temperatures and heat-related deaths could become the norm if we don't address global warming immediately.

More Fact Sheets

India’s Green Path to Growth
Addressing Climate Change and Building a Low-Carbon Economy

Fact Sheet

As the fourth-largest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, India's contributions to global warming are already significant. And with the second-fastest growing economy and a middle class projected to grow from 50 million to 500 million in the next few decades, those emissions could skyrocket. Given India's geography and climate it is especially vulnerable to the impacts of global warming. With a vast coastland that will be hit hard by a rise in sea level and seasonal weather patterns that could be severely affected, the potential for flooding and drought could create millions of eco-refugees. Striking the balance between meeting the aspirations of its poor majority and reducing global warming pollution is a significant challenge. Fortunately, India has chosen a green path to growth that treats the transition to a low-carbon economy as its biggest economic opportunity of the 21st century. Get document in pdf.

Protecting New Yorkers’ Health and the Environment by Regulating Drilling in the Marcellus Shale

Fact Sheet

With rising energy costs and fears of more volatility in the future, the natural gas industry is now searching for additional fuel sources. One such source is the natural gas-rich Marcellus Shale, an ancient rock formation that spans 600 miles and four states, including New York. While there may be benefits to drilling this large natural gas reserve, doing so without the proper monitoring and regulation by state and local officials will present a number of serious threats to human health and the environment in New York State. NRDC is therefore working with leaders across the state to ensure that if drilling in the Marcellus Shale occurs in New York, it will be done responsibly and only in appropriate areas. This fact sheet includes recommendations for action you can take to help ensure that gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale does not proceed in New York without full protections for New Yorkers’ health and the environment.
Get document in pdf.

Rising Tide of Illness: How Global Warming Could Increase the Threat of Waterborne Diseases

Fact Sheet

Although there is little public discussion of the problem, disease outbreaks caused by contaminated water occur regularly. Researchers estimate that, including unreported cases, between 4 and 33 million waterborne gastrointestinal illnesses occur each year in the United States. Global warming is projected to increase the risk of more frequent and more widespread outbreaks of waterborne illnesses, due to higher temperatures and more severe weather events. To help prevent increased occurrence of water-related illnesses, the CDC should improve surveillance of waterborne disease outbreaks, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should improve water quality regulations, and Congress should act to limit emissions of global warming pollutants. We need to act now to protect public health today while preparing for the impacts of climate change.
Get document in pdf.

Moving Cooler
Securing America's Energy Future

Fact Sheet

America currently uses nearly 20 million barrels of oil per day--enough to fill more than six of the world’s largest supertankers. More than two-thirds of this oil is used to fuel our cars and trucks, which drive enough miles each day to circle the globe more than 331,000 times. Meeting this demand for oil makes America less secure. We rely on imports for more than 60 percent of our overall oil consumption, leaving us dangerously dependent on other nations. Meanwhile, our oil-fueled transportation system accounts for nearly a third of our total global warming pollution. Technology advancements such as hybrid vehicles and better batteries can decrease our oil use and transportation emissions, but groundbreaking new research sponsored by NRDC and leading transportation experts shows that we must deploy additional strategies to overcome this challenge. Get document in pdf.

Boosting Energy Efficiency Nationwide Through Measurement and Performance-Based Rewards

Fact Sheet

Energy efficiency is the most cost effective means for reducing global warming pollution. According to McKinsey and Company, the energy bill savings from efficiency investments could roughly offset the cost of implementing a mandatory carbon cap. And many of these investments already make sense economically: McKinsey estimates that a $50 billion per year investment could result in $1.2 trillion in energy bill savings by 2020 while reducing end-use energy consumption by about 23 percent of projected demand. In addition to saving Americans money on their utility bills, investments in energy efficiency would put downward pressure on electricity, natural gas, and carbon allowance prices (when a carbon cap has been established), while creating 600,000 to 900,000 new jobs. Establishing a reliable measurement for energy efficiency performance and rewarding success in improving performance will help America reach its full energy-saving potential. Get document in pdf.

Protecting Our Ocean and Coastal Economies
Avoid Unnecessary Risks from Offshore Drilling

Fact Sheet

Healthy oceans are critically important to marine life and to coastal communities whose economies rely on tourism and fishing. Opening up new offshore areas to drilling risks permanent damage to our oceans and beaches without reducing our dependence on oil. When oil spills occur they can bring catastrophic harm to marine life and devastating losses for local businesses. And even routine exploration and drilling activities bring harm to many marine species. The Administration and Congress must work together to assess the environmental impacts of offshore drilling before making key decisions about offshore oil and gas activities in new areas or Alaska. Get document in pdf.

Ocean Acidification Fact Sheet
The Other CO2 Problem

Fact Sheet

Ocean acidification is the quiet tsunami of environmental degradation. Within a few decades, ocean acidification may devastate some marine ecosystems and threaten the productivity of our fisheries. When we burn oil, coal, or gas, scientists have recently shown, we are transforming the fundamental chemistry of the oceans, rapidly making the water more acidic. Get document in pdf.

Water Saving Solutions
Stopping Pollution at its Source with Low Impact Development

Fact Sheet

America's urban landscape is affecting our cities' water supply and water quality. Runoff from urban areas is a leading cause of water pollution in the United States, and in many areas people are using water faster than it can be replenished. More than 100 million acres of land have been developed in the United States, and with development and sprawl increasing faster than population growth, the risks to water supply and quality are growing. Low impact development, or LID, is a simple and cost-effective green development strategy that can help cities, states, and even individuals meet the water supply challenge, clean up our existing water resources, and, in many places in the West, curb global warming pollution by reducing the amount of electricity used to supply water. Get document in pdf.

More >