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
997.17
1576.47