Climate drawdown refers to the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Drawdown is a milestone in reversing

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and eventually reducing global average temperatures. ''Project Drawdown'' refers to the nonprofit organization with the mission to help the world reach drawdown and stop catastrophic climate change quickly, safely, and equitably. In 2017, a publication titled "''Drawdown"'' became a ''New York Times'' bestseller, where it highlighted and described different solutions and efforts available to help reach this goal.

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is a

climate change mitigation Climate change mitigation is action to limit climate change by reducing Greenhouse gas emissions, emissions of greenhouse gases or Carbon sink, removing those gases from the atmosphere. The recent rise in global average temperature is mostly caus ...

project initiated by

Paul Hawken Paul Gerard Hawken (born February 8, 1946) is an American environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, economist, and activist. Biography Hawken was born in San Mateo, California, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where his father worked at ...

and climate activist Amanda Joy Ravenhill. The main principles of the project are to: # Reduce sources by bringing emissions to zero and stopping pollution. # Support sinks and uplift nature's carbon cycle. # Improve society by fostering equality for all. Project Drawdown also organizes various solutions into groups that fit these principles to make up the Drawdown Framework. The Project Drawdown organization's website includes video lessons that explain the analysis and insights behind the efforts and research that make up the science behind the project. Central to the project is the compilation of a list of the "most substantive solutions to global warming." The list, which encompasses only technologically viable existing solutions, was compiled by a team of more than 200 scholars, scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and activists and is now online.Book Passage (w/o date)
"Paul Hawken - Drawdown (San Rafael)."
Retrieved 16 March 2017.Project Drawdown homepage.
Retrieved 16 March 2017. The team measured and modeled each solution's carbon impact through the year 2050, its total and net cost to society, and its total lifetime savings.Project Drawdown (w/o date)
"Solutions."
Retrieved 16 March 2017. Project Drawdown uses different scenarios to assess what different changes to global climate efforts might look like. Scenario 1 shows a 2 °C temperature rise by 2100, while Scenario 2 shows a 1.5 °C temperature rise by 2100. Below is a table of the top ten solutions included on the organization's website, with their respective emissions impacts based on either scenario. The measurements refer to the gigatons of equivalent reduced / sequestered (2020–2050) with the minimum efforts required for the higher goal and the maximum efforts required for the lower goal.

Nine Sectors

The interactive website lists nine sectors where immediate action is needed to limit catastrophic climate change. They are: # Electricity: Electricity production gives rise to 25% of heat-trapping emissions globally. The solutions that apply to this sector include enhancing efficiency, shifting production (away from fossil fuels to

solar energy Solar energy is radiant light and heat from the Sun that is harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar power to generate electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating), and solar architecture. It is an essenti ...

wind power Wind power or wind energy is mostly the use of wind turbines to electricity generation, generate electricity. Wind power is a popular, sustainable energy, sustainable, renewable energy source that has a much smaller Environmental impact of wi ...

/ geothermal power), and improving/upgrading the system. # Food, Agriculture, and Land Use: Agriculture and forestry activities generate 24% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. Solutions in this sector are focused on waste and diets, ecosystem protection, and better agricultural practices. Farming and forestry can also support the role of natural sinks, which help remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. # Industry: Industry is directly responsible for 21% of all heat-trapping emissions. The solutions in this sector include improving materials (as plastic, metals, and cement are some of the most common materials that need production improvement), utilizing waste, addressing

refrigerants A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are heavily regulated d ...

, and enhancing efficiency. Industry presents some of the biggest challenges for reducing emissions. # Transportation: This sector is responsible for 14% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Solutions in this sector address alternatives (public transit, compact cities, intentional infrastructure), enhancing efficiency, and electrifying vehicles to completely replace petroleum. However substantial, these solutions have the potential to save money while avoiding pollution. # Buildings: Buildings produce 6% of heat-trapping emissions worldwide. They also use more than half of all electricity, which creates a large impact on the electricity-generated emissions. The solutions for this sector orient around enhancing efficiency, shifting energy sources, and addressing refrigerants. # Health and Education: Currently, human population totals 7.7 billion, and the United Nations estimates that number will grow to between 9.4 billion and 10.1 billion in 2050. Population interacts with the primary drivers of emissions, production and consumption. However, almost half of consumption-related emissions are generated by just 10% of people globally, giving point to the critical note of disparities in emissions from high-income countries compared to low, and between the wealthiest individuals and those of lesser means. The solutions for this sector are also focused on family planning, reproductive health, and education. # Land Sinks: While the majority of heat-trapping emissions remain in the atmosphere, land sinks return 26% of human-caused emissions to Earth. This sector's solutions focus on protecting and restoring ecosystems, shifting agriculture practices, addressing waste and diets, and using degraded lands. (See also:

Carbon sink A carbon sink is anything, natural or otherwise, that accumulates and stores some carbon-containing chemical compound for an indefinite period and thereby removes carbon dioxide () from the atmosphere. Globally, the two most important carbon si ...

s and land trusts) # Coastal and Ocean Sinks: Oceans have absorbed at least 90% of the excess heat generated by recent climate changes and have taken up 20–30% of human-created carbon dioxide. Coastal and ocean sinks bring 17% of all heat-trapping emissions back to Earth. However, the more carbon dioxide in seawater makes the ocean more acidic and less hospitable. This also leads to a rise in water temperatures, marine heat waves, and sea levels. Solutions for coastal and ocean sinks center on ecosystem protection and restoration and improved agricultural practices. # Engineered Sinks: The sheer quantity of excess greenhouse gases means that natural processes cannot do it all when it comes to carbon sequestration. Developing technologies show promise to help supplement previously mentioned natural sinks. Removing, capturing, and storing carbon are included in the central solution focus for this sector.

Book

''Drawdown Review''

A 2020 review of the findings of the research that lead to the 2017 book was published as a 104-page PDF in 2020.

References

External links

Project Drawdown
headquartered in San Francisco, US
Drawdown Europe Research Association
headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands {{nbsp Greenhouse gas emissions Climate change mitigation