Global Collaborations

Recognizing that environmental challenges know no borders, NRDC has worked internationally for decades in select countries as well as global forums. We bring scientific, economic, and policy expertise to spearhead crucial environmental breakthroughs and leverage opportunities at every level. From local governments to private markets to the international stage, we team up with partners across the globe to protect and improve our shared home.

NRDC’s International team has helped secure new global climate commitments under the Paris Agreement and supported the actions each country needs to take to meet those pledges. To speed up climate action, we have helped forge partnerships among cities, businesses, financial institutions, and other crucial parties. We’re advising on ways to phase down “super” greenhouse gas emissions—hydrofluorocarbons—under the Montreal Protocol, phase out international public financing for coal, and develop green finance tools that can unlock greater private investment in low-carbon solutions across the developing world. For more than a decade, NRDC has been leading domestic and international efforts to reduce global exposure to mercury, a dangerous neurotoxin, including the adoption of the Minamata Convention on Mercury. We are also working to protect the oceans, halt wildlife trafficking, and protect critical ecosystems through global agreements and efforts in key countries. 

Others examples of our international collaborations include:  

• Promoting clean energy policies in China, India, and Latin America that can support economic growth while curbing greenhouse gas emissions 
• Working on the ground to reduce air pollution and improve public health outcomes in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America
• Leading the fight against projects that would expand dirty energy production, such as the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and new coal plants
• Working to protect critical ecosystems and wildlife that are under imminent threat, ranging from the free-flowing rivers of Chile’s Patagonia to Canada’s expansive boreal forests to China’s new Northeast Tiger and Leopard National Park
• Coordinating with city officials and public health institutions to develop climate health plans, such as the award-winning Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan in Gujarat, India, which has been replicated in more than 100 cities and 23 of India’s 29 states, representing more than 700 million people
• Working with key financial institutions to apply lessons from the green bank model and advance domestic leadership on green finance, as we're doing in Mexico and Chile