Solutions
Below Project Drawdown presents the individual Drawdown solutions, including their relevant sector(s) and their impact on addressing climate change. They present the results of our analysis for two scenarios:
Scenario 1 stops climate change close to 2˚C of global warming, and Scenario 2 stops climate change close to 1.5˚C of global warming.
To solutions are ranked by size.
The rankings shown here are based on projected emissions impact globally. The relative importance of a given solution can differ significantly depending on context and particular geographic, ecological, economic, political, or social conditions.
Gigatons CO2 Equivalent Reduced / Sequestered (2020–2050)
| Solution | Sector(s) | Scenario 1 * | Scenario 2 * |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reduced Food Waste | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 87.45 | 94.56 |
| Health and Education | Health and Education | 85.42 | 85.42 |
| Plant-Rich Diets | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 65.01 | 91.72 |
| Refrigerant Management | Industry / Buildings | 57.75 | 57.75 |
| Tropical Forest Restoration | Land Sinks | 54.45 | 85.14 |
| Onshore Wind Turbines | Electricity | 47.21 | 147.72 |
| Alternative Refrigerants | Industry / Buildings | 43.53 | 50.53 |
| Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics | Electricity | 42.32 | 119.13 |
| Improved Clean Cookstoves | Buildings | 31.34 | 72.65 |
| Distributed Solar Photovoltaics | Electricity | 27.98 | 68.64 |
| Silvopasture | Land Sinks | 26.58 | 42.31 |
| Peatland Protection and Rewetting | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 26.03 | 41.93 |
| Tree Plantations (on Degraded Land) | Land Sinks | 22.24 | 35.94 |
| Temperate Forest Restoration | Land Sinks | 19.42 | 27.85 |
| Concentrated Solar Power | Electricity | 18.60 | 23.96 |
| Insulation | Electricity / Buildings | 16.97 | 19.01 |
| Managed Grazing | Land Sinks | 16.42 | 26.01 |
| LED Lighting | Electricity | 16.07 | 17.53 |
| Perennial Staple Crops | Land Sinks | 15.45 | 31.26 |
| Tree Intercropping | Land Sinks | 15.03 | 24.40 |
| Regenerative Annual Cropping | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 14.52 | 22.27 |
| Conservation Agriculture | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 13.40 | 9.43 |
| Abandoned Farmland Restoration | Land Sinks | 12.48 | 20.32 |
| Electric Cars | Transportation | 11.87 | 15.68 |
| Multistrata Agroforestry | Land Sinks | 11.30 | 20.40 |
| Offshore Wind Turbines | Electricity | 10.44 | 11.42 |
| High-Performance Glass | Electricity / Buildings | 10.04 | 12.63 |
| Methane Digesters | Electricity / Industry | 9.83 | 6.18 |
| Improved Rice Production | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 9.44 | 13.82 |
| Indigenous Peoples’ Forest Tenure | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 8.69 | 12.93 |
| Bamboo Production | Land Sinks | 8.27 | 21.31 |
| Alternative Cement | Industry | 7.98 | 16.10 |
| Hybrid Cars | Transportation | 7.89 | 4.63 |
| Carpooling | Transportation | 7.70 | 4.17 |
| Public Transit | Transportation | 7.51 | 23.36 |
| Smart Thermostats | Electricity / Buildings | 6.99 | 7.40 |
| Building Automation Systems | Electricity / Buildings | 6.47 | 10.48 |
| District Heating | Electricity / Buildings | 6.28 | 9.85 |
| Efficient Aviation | Transportation | 6.27 | 9.18 |
| Geothermal Power | Electricity | 6.19 | 9.85 |
| Forest Protection | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 5.52 | 8.75 |
| Recycling | Industry | 5.50 | 6.02 |
| Biogas for Cooking | Buildings | 4.65 | 9.70 |
| Efficient Trucks | Transportation | 4.61 | 9.71 |
| Efficient Ocean Shipping | Transportation | 4.40 | 6.30 |
| High-Efficiency Heat Pumps | Electricity / Buildings | 4.16 | 9.29 |
| Perennial Biomass Production | Land Sinks | 4.00 | 7.04 |
| Solar Hot Water | Electricity / Buildings | 3.59 | 14.29 |
| Grassland Protection | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 3.35 | 4.25 |
| System of Rice Intensification | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 2.78 | 4.26 |
| Nuclear Power | Electricity | 2.65 | 3.23 |
| Bicycle Infrastructure | Transportation | 2.56 | 6.65 |
| Biomass Power | Electricity | 2.52 | 3.57 |
| Nutrient Management | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use | 2.34 | 12.06 |
| Biochar Production | Engineered Sinks | 2.22 | 4.39 |
| Landfill Methane Capture | Electricity / Industry | 2.18 | -1.60 |
| Composting | Industry | 2.14 | 3.13 |
| Waste-to-Energy | Electricity / Industry | 2.04 | 3.00 |
| Small Hydropower | Electricity | 1.69 | 3.28 |
| Walkable Cities | Transportation | 1.44 | 5.45 |
| Ocean Power | Electricity | 1.38 | 1.38 |
| Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks | 1.36 | 0.68 |
| Electric Bicycles | Transportation | 1.31 | 4.07 |
| High-Speed Rail | Transportation | 1.30 | 3.77 |
| Farm Irrigation Efficiency | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use | 1.13 | 2.07 |
| Recycled Paper | Industry | 1.10 | 1.95 |
| Telepresence | Transportation | 1.05 | 3.80 |
| Coastal Wetland Protection | Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Coastal and Ocean Sinks | 0.99 | 1.45 |
| Bioplastics | Industry | 0.96 | 3.80 |
| Low-Flow Fixtures | Electricity / Buildings | 0.91 | 1.56 |
| Coastal Wetland Restoration | Coastal and Ocean Sinks | 0.77 | 1.01 |
| Water Distribution Efficiency | Electricity | 0.66 | 0.94 |
| Green and Cool Roofs | Electricity / Buildings | 0.60 | 1.10 |
| Dynamic Glass | Electricity / Buildings | 0.29 | 0.47 |
| Electric Trains | Transportation | 0.10 | 0.65 |
| Micro Wind Turbines | Electricity | 0.09 | 0.13 |
| Building Retrofitting | Electricity / Buildings | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Net-Zero Buildings | Electricity / Buildings | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Grid Flexibility | Electricity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Microgrids | Electricity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Distributed Energy Storage | Electricity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Utility-Scale Energy Storage | Electricity | 0.00 | 0.00 |
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997.17
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1576.47
|