And of course we need global actions to limit these numbers - policy and business commitments take time (we don't have) to implement.īy organizing his book into solutions by gigaton, Hawken captured the most important projects we need to capitalize on in order to avoid those great unknowns. In 2015, for example, worldwide CO2 emissions from fossil fuel burning, cement production and land use change totaled nearly 40 gigatons. We could just divide up the remaining budget, but that's a political non-starter because it quickly becomes apparent that there isn't nearly enough carbon pie to go around. That's the year my infant daughter will turn 28. That leaves at most 485 gigatons before the great unknown hits, and we're rapidly and quite literally burning through them.Īccording to the World Resources Institute, we'll exceed our 1,000-gigaton budget by 2045 if we continue with business as usual. Experts estimate that the carbon equivalent we can safely emit is somewhere around 1,000 gigatons, and we've already burned through at least 515. It harkens to the concept of a " carbon budget," the amount of carbon that can safely be emitted without triggering the worst impacts of climate change. Since global warming suffers from a measurement communication problem, I found the use of this simple metric refreshing.
These solutions are presented with the number of gigatons of carbon-equivalent they can "draw down" and the cost and prospective savings of implementation. These initiatives improve lives, create jobs, restore the environment, enhance security, generate resilience, and advance human health." The book describes the top 80 solutions and 20 near-term options, as well as the environmental impacts of their adoption.Īccording to the book's description: "The list is comprised primarily of 'no regrets' solutions - actions that make sense to take regardless of their climate impact since they have intrinsic benefits to communities and economies.
Hawken and his team of advisors tapped research fellows from around the world. " Drawdown," edited by Paul Hawken, is a collection of the most effective actions to remove global warming pollutants from the atmosphere.
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