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Table of Contents
Introduction
Introduction
12:42 minute video highlights the 4 main sectors we can work on to win the fight against climate change.
Sectors & Practices that Sequester Carbon
Sectors & Practices that Sequester Carbon
These are currently listed alphabetically, but will be reorganized by (potential) impact.
Agriculture Practices
Agriculture Practices
Plant-Based Dietary Changes
Plant-Based Dietary Changes
"Animal agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Favoring plant-based foods reduces demand, thereby reducing land clearing, fertilizer use, and greenhouse gas emissions." - Drawdown: Plant-Rich Diets
"Using country-level data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, we estimated the growth in global food consumption by 2050, assuming that people in lower-income countries will consume more food and higher quantities of meat as economies grow. If 50–75 percent of people adopt a healthy diet of an average 2,300 calories per day and reduce meat consumption overall, we estimate at least 54.19–78.48 gigatons of emissions could be avoided from dietary change alone. Since agriculture, particularly for cattle and animal feed production, is the leading driver of tropical deforestation, reducing meat consumption can avoid additional forest loss and associated greenhouse gas emissions." - Drawdown: Plant-Rich Diets
Seaweed Farming
Seaweed Farming
"Seaweed farming is one of the most sustainable types of aquaculture. Expanding seaweed farming enhances carbon sequestration and boosts production of biomass that can be used for biofuel, bioplastic, livestock feed, and human consumption." - Drawdown: Seaweed Farming
More Space is Ideal for this Solution than would be Needed to Succeed
More Space is Ideal for this Solution than would be Needed to Succeed
"Out of a total ocean area available for the solution of 240 million hectares, the solution adoption in 2018 was 0.19 million hectares (0.08 percent). The total ocean area available for this solution was modeled using the 5 percent of global area suitable for macroalgae growth considering nutrients and temperature constraints. Globally, nearly 4.8 billion hectares are suitable for macroalgae growth based on Froehlich et al. (2019). However, we considered only 5 percent of this as the total ocean area for this solution to keep our estimates conservative." - Drawdown: Seaweed Farming
Sequestration Potential
"Seaweed farms occupied only 0.19 million hectares in 2018. Expanding sustainable seaweed farming to 13.39–25.14 million hectares by 2050 could sequester an additional 2.50–4.72 gigatons of carbon dioxide and create additional feedstock for other solutions at a net lifetime cost of US$4.97–9.40 trillion for 2020–2050." - Drawdown: Seaweed Farming
""Macroalgae are fast-growing marine plants that absorb high amounts of carbon dioxide. They are among the most productive organisms on Earth. Recent findings have quantified the long-term carbon sequestration potential of macroalgae at 0.17 gigatons of carbon per year, exceeding the carbon buried in coastal environments such as mangroves, saltmarshes, and seagrass beds." - Drawdown: Seaweed Farming
"Project Drawdown defines its Seaweed Farming solution as the culturing and cultivation of macroalgae in the ocean for long-term carbon sequestration in the form of excess unharvested biomass that is exported to the deep sea and/or ocean shelves and buried in ocean sediments. We assume this solution will be deployed in ocean areas that do not have alternative uses.
Macroalgae aquaculture comprises 27 percent of total marine aquaculture production and is valued at 5 percent of the total value of aquaculture crops. In 2005, global farmed macroalgae production was estimated at 13.5 million metric tons. By 2016, global yields more than doubled, reaching 31.2 million metric tons. The sharp increase in macroalgae farming between 2005 and 2016 is likely to continue with the leading producing nations focusing on ensuring the sector’s long-term sustainability." - Drawdown: Seaweed Farming
Total Ocean Hectares - Global:
Suitable Sites for Seaweed Farming:
Space Needed to Sequester 2.50–4.72 Gt of C02:
Hectares Currently Farmed (2018):
361,000,000,000 h
4,800,000,000 h
240,000,000 h
190,000 h
Conservation & Restoration
Conservation & Restoration
Conservation Grazing
Conservation Grazing
"Rewilding and carbon mitigation go hand in hand, and the largest potential biome for rewilding is the world’s grasslands, which cover 25% of the planet’s land surface. Horses are considered mesograzers, which are classified as species with the highest per capita potential to shape climate change drivers. Wild horse herds affect ecosystem nutrient transportation, landscape fire regimes, and vegetation mosaics, while emitting far less methane than cattle and sheep due to their classification as hind-gut fermenters rather than ruminants. Many rewilding programs in Europe use feral horses as part of their rewilding practices. The introduction of horses in rewilding projects has been found to increase biodiversity and maintain or preserve natural grassland mosaics, increasing their suitability for other species." - Rewilding Institute: Rewilding with Wild Horses
Infrastructure
Infrastructure
Roofing
Roofing
Transportation
Transportation
Public Transit
Public Transit
"If public transit is used for 29 to 34 percent of all urban passenger trips, this solution can save 9.42–15.42 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from cars. Consumers would save US$2.81–4.59 trillion in mobility costs. [Project Drawdown's] analysis includes diverse public transit options (bus, metro, tram, and commuter rail) and examines the costs that travelers pay (car purchase and use compared with buying transit tickets)." - Drawdown: Public Transit
Waste Management
Waste Management
Composting
Composting
Resources & Guides
Resources & Guides
Land Management
Land Management
Conservation Grazing
Conservation Grazing
Organizations
Organizations
International
International
Project Drawdown "is the world’s leading resource for climate solutions." "Project Drawdown’s world-class network of scientists, researchers, and fellows has characterized a set of 93 technologies and practices that together can dramatically reduce concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere."
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