Climate change is a complex issue. You and many others may feel motivated to do something about it, but it can be difficult to know where to begin, and which of the myriad problems and solutions we should focus on. Should we throw all our efforts behind solar photovoltaic power generation? Or how about about electric cars? Or preventing deforestation? When faced with the series of interconnected issues behind climate change, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed.
Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, edited by Paul Hawken, aims to solve this problem by presenting and ranking the 100 most impactful solutions to climate change.
Each solution is ranked in based on its potential to reduce or remove carbon dioxide (or CO2-equivalent) emissions from the atmosphere. A summary is provided with each solution, along with other important data, such as cost of implementation.
The book is full of surprising insights, such as the finding that wind turbines (ranked number 2 in potential impact) outrank solar photovoltaic (ranked number 8), or that growing bamboo is an excellent means of carbon sequestration.
I personally thought that one of the most important insights related to the impact of women’s education and access to family planning (solutions ranked 6 & 7 respectively). Not only should these rights be considered a moral imperative, but if viewed as a single combined solution, they are also by far the most impactful solution to climate change, due primarily to their effect on reducing population growth.
The book is presented in a manner which is straightforward and easy to understand, which belies the weight of technical data backing its simple figures and summaries. Drawdown represents the analytical work of a coalition of 70 scientists and researchers, and an even larger expert review team. Each solution was researched, analysed, modelled and reviewed to provide the data presented in the book.
Because of the breadth of information Drawdown covers, with 100 solutions ranging from bike infrastructure to nuclear fusion, detailed technical data is not included in the book itself but can be accessed on the Project Drawdown website: http://www.drawdown.org/
I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in learning about, and taking action to prevent climate change, whether in your personal life, through your career, or your business. To echo the words Paul Hawken: use this book to identify how you can make a difference.
For further information or to purchase, click here > Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming
My video review: