Project Drawdown presents the Drawdown Roadmap: The Five Parts of the Drawdown Roadmap | Unit 3

Summary

In this video, the Drawdown Roadmap is introduced, outlining five key components for effective climate action. The roadmap prioritizes cutting emissions directly, implementing social interventions, utilizing carbon removal techniques, leveraging geographical hotspots, and maximizing co-benefits for nature and people. It emphasizes the importance of timing, with immediate actions and long-term strategies, and addresses barriers such as policy, finance, and technology. This comprehensive approach aims to guide businesses, governments, investors, and communities in taking impactful steps to combat climate change.

Takeaways

• 🔍 The Drawdown Roadmap outlines a strategy for effective climate action across multiple sectors, emphasizing the importance of cutting emissions directly.
• 💡 Cutting emissions is the most effective way to combat climate change, with a recommendation to allocate about 87% of efforts to this.
• 🌿 Social interventions, such as supporting indigenous communities and improving education and healthcare for women and girls, can indirectly cut emissions and should account for about 6% of efforts.
• 🌳 Carbon removal through nature (trees, soils, oceans) and technology rounds out the final 6% of the portfolio.
• 📊 The Drawdown Roadmap provides a data-driven portfolio that guides actions in electricity, food and agriculture, industry, transportation, and buildings.
• 💰 Most climate solutions are cost-effective, with about 80% making money in the long term. For every dollar invested, there is a potential return of about $5.
• 🔧 The roadmap emphasizes the importance of emergency brakes to reduce emissions immediately, such as stopping deforestation and cutting methane leaks.
• 🔨 Infrastructure development, including new low-carbon systems and nature-based solutions, needs to start now but will take years to fully implement.
• 🌎 Geographic leverage points, like targeting the most polluting power plants and deforestation hotspots, are crucial for maximizing impact.
• 🤝 Co-benefits of climate solutions, such as improving human welfare and preserving biodiversity, should be prioritized to create win-win scenarios.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the Drawdown Roadmap?

The Drawdown Roadmap focuses on identifying the most effective climate actions across multiple sectors, based on solid scientific evidence, and allocating resources in the right amounts and areas to combat climate change.

What does the script suggest as the most impactful action to stop climate change?

The script suggests that the most impactful action to stop climate change is to cut emissions directly, which is far more effective than any other action.

How much of the recommended work should be dedicated to cutting emissions directly according to the script?

The script recommends that approximately 87% of the work should be dedicated to cutting emissions directly.

In which six areas should the majority of the emission-cutting efforts be focused?

The majority of the emission-cutting efforts should be focused on electricity, food and agriculture, land use, industry, transportation, buildings, and other sectors.

What are the examples of social interventions mentioned in the script that can indirectly cut emissions?

The script mentions helping indigenous communities protect their land and ensuring equitable access to education and healthcare for women and girls as examples of social interventions that can indirectly cut emissions.

What is the approximate percentage of emissions cuts that can be achieved through 'people first' solutions?

The script suggests that about 6% of emissions cuts can be achieved through 'people first' solutions.

How does the script describe the role of carbon removal in the overall climate action strategy?

The script describes carbon removal as a crucial component of the climate action strategy, utilizing both natural elements like trees, soils, and oceans, as well as technological solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere, accounting for the remaining 6% or so of the necessary actions.

What is the term used in the script to describe the ideal mix of climate actions based on data and science?

The term used in the script to describe the ideal mix of climate actions is 'Earth's portfolio' or 'target portfolio'.

How does the script discuss the cost-effectiveness of climate solutions?

The script discusses the cost-effectiveness of climate solutions by presenting a cost curve that ranks solutions from cheapest to most expensive and stating that about 80% of the solutions are cost-effective, either being free or making money, while only 20% would require subsidies.

What is the significance of the 'emergency brakes' wave of climate action mentioned in the script?

The 'emergency brakes' wave of climate action signifies immediate solutions that can bend the curve on emissions rapidly, such as stopping deforestation, preventing methane leaks, and reducing energy and food waste.

How does the script address the need for aligning capital with carbon in climate solutions?

The script addresses the need for aligning capital with carbon by emphasizing the importance of directing resources and investments to the most effective climate solutions based on scientific evidence, rather than just focusing on areas that are currently popular or easily understood.

What does the script suggest as the most important variable in tackling climate change?

The script suggests that time is the most important variable in tackling climate change, as immediate and steep cuts in emissions are required in the next decade or two to have a chance of stopping climate change within the Paris Accords agreement.

How does the script propose to address barriers to climate action?

The script proposes a comprehensive approach to addressing barriers to climate action by considering policy, regulatory, financial, technological, business, and cultural factors, and recognizing that these barriers interact and must be tackled together.

What is the final part of the Drawdown Roadmap mentioned in the script?

The final part of the Drawdown Roadmap mentioned in the script is being mindful of multiple barriers and considering them in a comprehensive way to effectively address climate change.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Introduction to the Drawdown Roadmap

The video introduces the Drawdown Roadmap, a strategic guide for effective climate action based on scientific evidence. It emphasizes the importance of cutting emissions directly, which is the most impactful action against climate change. The roadmap is divided into five components, starting with sector-based actions, including electricity, food and agriculture, land use, industry, transportation, and buildings. It suggests focusing 87% of efforts on these areas, with the Drawdown Solutions Library offering multiple solutions to improve efficiency and decarbonize these sectors. The video also touches on indirect emission reduction through social interventions, such as supporting indigenous communities and gender equity in education and healthcare, which contribute to a healthier planet and society.

05:03

💡 The Economic Viability of Climate Solutions

This paragraph delves into the economic aspect of climate solutions, highlighting that many are cost-effective and can even generate profit. A cost curve analysis is presented, showing solutions ranging from the cheapest to the most expensive. It's revealed that about 80% of the solutions are economically beneficial, requiring no subsidy, while the remaining 20% might need financial support. The overall return on investment in climate solutions is estimated to be around five times the initial cost, underscoring the potential for a new, efficient economy. The current allocation of philanthropic and venture capital funds is critiqued for not aligning well with the scientific targets, suggesting a need for better resource distribution.

10:04

🌳 Carbon Removal and the Portfolio of Climate Actions

The script discusses the final 6% of the climate action portfolio, focusing on carbon removal through natural systems like trees, soils, and oceans, as well as technological solutions. It introduces the concept of 'Earth's portfolio,' a collection of actions necessary to combat climate change, with each component scaled to the appropriate level of effectiveness. The paragraph also explores the idea of a 'target portfolio' based on data and science, guiding viewers on the most effective mix of climate actions. It encourages a detailed examination of the portfolio to identify the most viable solutions in various categories and to consider cost-effectiveness in implementing these solutions.

15:06

🔄 The Timing and Waves of Climate Action

This section of the script addresses the importance of timing in climate action, outlining the need for immediate and steep emission cuts to align with the Paris Accords. It introduces the concept of 'waves of climate action,' starting with 'emergency brakes' to immediately reduce emissions, such as stopping deforestation and reducing methane leaks. The second wave involves building new low-carbon infrastructures across various sectors, which will unfold over time. Social interventions and nature-based solutions are also discussed as long-term strategies that pay off for both people and the planet. Lastly, the paragraph touches on the unpredictability of new technologies and the need for continuous investment in innovation.

20:07

🌍 Geographic Leverage and Co-benefits in Climate Action

The script emphasizes the importance of geographical considerations in climate action, identifying leverage points for maximum impact, such as focusing on the most polluting power plants or areas with high deforestation rates. It also stresses the need to look for '80/20 rules' that provide the greatest benefit for the least investment. Additionally, the paragraph discusses the co-benefits of climate solutions, which not only address climate change but also improve other aspects of the environment and human welfare. The goal is to find win-win solutions that contribute to a better world with healthy ecosystems and more equitable living conditions.

🛑 Overcoming Barriers for Effective Climate Action

The final paragraph of the script discusses the various barriers that can impede the implementation of climate solutions. It identifies policy, regulatory, financial, technological, business, and cultural barriers as interconnected issues that need to be addressed comprehensively. The importance of recognizing and tackling all barriers simultaneously is highlighted to ensure a holistic approach to climate action. The Drawdown Roadmap is presented as a five-point plan that integrates scientific insights and strategic allocation of resources across sectors, time, and geographies, with a focus on co-benefits and barrier mitigation.

Keywords

💡Drawdown Roadmap

The Drawdown Roadmap is a strategic plan outlined in the video that details the steps and sectors for combating climate change effectively. It is built on scientific findings and suggests a distribution of efforts across various sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The roadmap is central to the video's theme, providing a framework for the most impactful climate actions.

💡Emissions

Emissions refer to the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which is a primary driver of climate change. The video emphasizes the importance of cutting emissions directly as the most effective action against climate change. For example, the script mentions that 'a big part of the Drawdown Roadmap is to start cutting emissions directly' and suggests focusing on sectors like electricity and transportation.

💡Solutions Library

The Solutions Library is a resource mentioned in the script that contains dozens of solutions to improve efficiency and decarbonize sectors, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is part of the Project Drawdown's work and is used to illustrate the variety of approaches that can be taken to address climate change within the sectors identified by the Drawdown Roadmap.

💡Human Welfare

Human welfare, as discussed in the video, relates to social interventions that prioritize helping people first but also have a secondary benefit of aiding the planet. The script gives examples such as helping indigenous communities secure land tenure to prevent deforestation and supporting women and girls' access to education and healthcare, which indirectly contributes to emission reduction.

💡Carbon Removal

Carbon removal involves the processes and technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The video script discusses the importance of this concept as part of the climate action portfolio, utilizing natural systems like trees, soils, and oceans, as well as mechanical means, to draw down carbon and help achieve the climate goals outlined in the Drawdown Roadmap.

💡Cost Curve

A cost curve in the context of the video represents the initial costs of various climate solutions, ranging from the cheapest on the left to the most expensive on the right. The script uses the cost curve to analyze and illustrate the affordability and financial viability of different solutions, emphasizing that many climate solutions can be cost-effective or even profitable.

💡Geographic Leverage

Geographic leverage refers to the strategic identification of locations or 'hotspots' where climate actions can have the most significant impact. The video script discusses the concept as part of the Drawdown Roadmap, suggesting that focusing on areas with the highest emissions or deforestation can lead to more effective climate action.

💡Co-benefits

Co-benefits in the video script denote the additional positive outcomes that climate solutions can provide beyond reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These can include improving human welfare, preserving biodiversity, and promoting social equity. The concept is integral to the Drawdown Roadmap's approach to finding win-win solutions for both the environment and society.

💡Barriers

Barriers in the video script represent the obstacles that hinder the implementation of climate solutions. The script mentions various types of barriers, including policy, regulatory, financial, technological, and cultural, and emphasizes the need to address these comprehensively to achieve the goals set by the Drawdown Roadmap.

💡Portfolio

In the context of the video, a portfolio refers to a collection of climate solutions that are strategically selected to address climate change most effectively. The script describes 'Earth's portfolio' as a target set of actions based on scientific data, illustrating the concept by showing how different solutions can be scaled and combined for maximum impact.

💡Wave of Climate Action

The wave of climate action is a concept used in the script to describe the different phases or stages of implementing climate solutions over time. The video outlines various 'waves,' such as 'emergency brakes' for immediate emission cuts, infrastructure development, social investments, nature-based solutions, and ongoing investments in innovation and research and development.

Highlights

Introduction to the Drawdown Roadmap, a five-component plan based on scientific evidence for effective climate action.

Emphasis on reducing emissions directly as the most effective method to combat climate change, recommending 87% of efforts be allocated to this approach.

Identification of six key areas for emission reduction: electricity, food and agriculture, land use, industry, transportation, and buildings.

Highlighting the Drawdown Solutions Library as a resource for improving efficiency and decarbonizing sectors.

Indirect emission reduction through social interventions, such as supporting indigenous communities and gender equity in education and healthcare.

Allocating 6% of emissions cuts to people-first solutions that later benefit the planet.

Discussion on carbon removal strategies using natural and mechanical methods to account for the remaining 6% of the climate action portfolio.

Introduction of 'Earth's portfolio' as a target for the most effective climate action based on data and science.

Analysis of the cost-effectiveness of climate solutions, with 80% making money and only 20% requiring subsidies.

The potential for a $5 return on every dollar invested in climate solutions, excluding the avoided damages of climate change.

Comparison of the target portfolio with current activities, revealing a misalignment that requires improvement.

Investment insights from philanthropy, venture capital, and government funding, and their distribution across different climate sectors.

The importance of aligning capital spending on climate solutions with carbon reduction goals.

Exploration of the temporal aspect of the roadmap, emphasizing immediate action and long-term planning.

The concept of 'waves of climate action' to guide the timing and sequence of different climate solutions.

Identification of 'emergency brake' solutions for immediate emission reduction and the infrastructure wave for building new low-carbon systems.

Investment in social interventions and nature-based solutions as long-term strategies for climate action.

The unpredictability of new technologies and the need for continuous investment in innovation and R&D.

Geographic considerations in the Drawdown Roadmap, focusing on leverage points for maximum impact.

The search for 80/20 rules in geography to identify areas where climate action can be most effective.

Maximizing co-benefits of climate solutions that address multiple environmental and social issues simultaneously.

The final part of the roadmap addressing barriers to climate action and the need for a comprehensive approach.

The holistic view provided by the Drawdown Roadmap, guiding various sectors and stakeholders in taking effective climate action.

Transcripts

(gentle music)

- Welcome to unit three.

In this video, we're gonna talk

about the Drawdown Roadmap in its five component parts.

These parts are all built on the science

from the last unit but now show how we can take

the most effective climate action based on good science.

So let's begin.

The Drawdown Roadmap begins first

with looking at how we can take action on climate change

across multiple sectors, weaving in multiple solutions

but doing so in the right amounts in the right areas.

Now, as we learned in the last unit

the biggest thing we can do to stop climate change

and by far the most effective is to cut emissions directly.

There's nothing we can do that's more important to

climate change than stopping emissions from the beginning.

So a big part of the Drawdown Roadmap is to

start cutting emissions directly, and we recommend something

like 87% of the work should be right here

and it should be done in these six areas, electricity,

food and agriculture and land use, industry,

transportation buildings and other stuff.

And in the Drawdown Solutions Library we already have dozens

of solutions that can improve the efficiency

of things in these sectors, but also decarbonize them

so they don't emit greenhouse gases.

So we'll get back to that

but that's a lot of the work we need to do, roughly 87%.

We can also though cut emissions kind

of indirectly by working on human welfare first.

These are what we might call like social interventions

things that help people first

but then later help the planet.

Let me give you two examples.

One is helping indigenous communities around

the world especially in the tropics, protect their land

and keep clear land tenure, land ownership.

Because if indigenous communities can keep land tenure

and protect their lands

it'll keep them from being deforested.

And that's good for people, first of all.

But then that lowers deforestation rates

around the world too, and that helps climate.

So this is a great strategy

for first helping people and then helping climate second.

Another of course, is helping women

and girls have more equitable access

to education and healthcare.

When we do that, of course

it helps people first in issues of equity

and justice but later it bends the curves economically

and demographically that also lower emissions

around the world later on.

So again, by helping people first

sometimes we help the planet second

and we should accommodate that as well.

So in our portfolio here, we add

about 6% of emissions cuts through these people first kinds

of solutions that come later to help the planet.

Second, and then we have carbon removal

using both nature like trees and soils and oceans

as well as machines to take carbon out of the atmosphere.

That's gonna round out the last 6% or

so of this kind of portfolio of activities we need to do.

But now we can double click and go down into more detail

and see how we can look at the whole portfolio.

We can see how much we should do

in electricity in food and agriculture industry and so on.

This if you well, is a portfolio

of action that's necessary to stop climate change.

And each box is scaled

to about the right amount to do the job most effectively.

This is what I like to call Earth's portfolio.

It's kind of a target portfolio

based on the data and the science

of what would be the most effective kind of climate action.

And we can use that to guide the actions we take next

that as we know what to do

and now we know what the mix of it should look

like altogether to get the best possible portfolio.

And within this portfolio, we can take a look

at what are the most viable things we can do

in each category.

For example, in electricity

what are the best things to do here?

Well, Project Drawdown's already done the work for you.

We have a solutions library that shows all of these circles

which are individual solutions that we should do

in about these amounts.

The bigger the circle

the bigger the solution could be according to our analysis.

So here we have solutions

that enhance the efficiency via and energy use around

the world lowering the demand for electricity

as well as shifting production of electricity

to low carbon sources that don't emit greenhouse gases.

We can also look at solutions in agriculture

and land use like cutting food waste, shifting diets

protecting ecosystems and farming better on the land we use.

So this is also a suite

of solutions right here in the food space

or maybe over here in transportation where reducing

the need for transportation, enhancing the efficiency

of our transportation systems and then electrifying vehicles

like electric cars, trains, and so on.

So they don't use fossil fuels at all.

So this shows again, how that portfolio could

break down into how we use solutions

and in what amounts to get the best possible mix.

We can also though look

for solutions that are the most cost effective

because you know these are gonna take a little bit

of money upfront

and we should do the things that are easiest first.

So let's look again at this portfolio

and ask what are the cheapest solutions?

Well, we did that analysis

as well and we built what's called a cost curve

where we stacked solutions

from left to right from the cheapest ones

on the far left to the most expensive on the far right.

And that's what these solutions look like.

And these are the initial cost.

This is what a cost upfront on day one.

And some solutions are either free or make money immediately

while others take a little bit of money upfront.

But if we look at the lifetime cost and compare that

to the world we would've had if we still burned fossil fuels

and did all these things to cause climate change

we see that climate solutions are often a bargain.

And compared to the world we would've had

climate solutions are

in fact free or make money for about 80% of the cases here.

That is 80% of the solutions make money

for us around the world

and only 20% would need some kind of subsidy.

Overall though, for every dollar we invest

we'll probably make back about $5 from climate solutions.

And that's before we even count the damages

climate change would've caused in the first place.

So this is the biggest kind of business boom

in history just waiting for us, is to take climate

solutions seriously and find the opportunities

to build a whole new economy that's far more efficient.

But let's start with the cheap things first and

use that to propel economic activity across the spectrum.

Now, how does this kind of target portfolio

based on science compared to what we're actually doing?

Well, in a word not so well.

Here again is the target portfolio

Based on the science this is what we should be doing.

Now here's what we're actually doing.

Here's some data showing what we think

is the amount of money going into climate philanthropy.

There's like donations from individuals

or big foundations and so on to do good climate work.

Altogether that's around $8 billion a year right now.

And a fraction of that is going into climate solutions.

And when we look at the data from Climate Works

a nonprofit that's analyzed this, it seems

that the money going into climate solutions looks something

like this bar where it's doing a good job

in electricity and in carbon removal

and transportation but it's a little light in industry

is not doing enough in the kind of other emissions sector.

And it's not clear whether social interventions that lead

to cutting emissions are really truly represented or not.

So we have to do a better job of understanding

where philanthropic dollars are going compared

to what the science suggests.

It's pretty good, but it could be better.

And then here's an estimate where venture capital

where private investors who wanna start new technologies

and new companies where they're putting their money.

Wow a lot of that seems to be going

into transportation, mostly that into electric cars.

Well, maybe that's what Silicon Valley can understand right

now is a good business model and that makes sense.

But in the long term, we need to put money

into other areas as well to make sure we're getting enough

in all of the right boxes.

And finally, we can look at government funding.

This is an example of the Inflation Reduction Act passed

in 2022 by the US government.

This is putting money mainly

into the electricity sector in the United States

and that was part of the goal of that particular bill.

A little bit in agriculture

some in industry, some in transportation

but it's a little bit out of whack compared

to what you might do ideally for a science-based portfolio.

So maybe future bills will have

to address kind of the shortcomings of other things

but first it's gonna give the electricity, right?

And later on hopefully do other things.

But the idea here is

that we need to align the capital, the money, if you will

that we're spending on climate solutions with the carbon.

If we don't pay attention to the science, how

are we gonna direct resources to the best possible place?

Well, the Drawdown Roadmap shows you how and

how to put your money to work in the most effective ways.

Well beyond directing climate action

across sectors we now have

to think about how to direct climate action over time.

And that's the second part of the roadmap.

And the second part of the roadmap, we look at time.

Now, time is probably the most important variable

when it comes to tackling climate change

because right now we have to kind of bend

the curve on emissions immediately and do steep cuts

in the next decade or two

just to have a chance of stopping climate change

within the Paris Accords agreement.

And then as we continue to cut emissions

and grow carbon removal by mid-century, we can get

to net zero sometime by the middle of the 21st century.

This will take what we call kind of waves of climate action.

Waves of climate action all start now

but they go out into the future in different ways.

So maybe crest in different times

in different forms into the future.

So one of the first things we have to think

about is the wave of climate action I call emergency brakes.

These are climate solutions that help us bend

the curve on emissions immediately.

They're solutions we can adopt now

but also have a fast response in the atmosphere.

So these are the things we have

to do today to kind of slam the brakes,

bend the curve on greenhouse gas emissions, for example

stopping deforestation immediately, preventing trees

from being burned everywhere in the world

as fast as we can would have an immediate impact

on climate change or cutting methane leaks

because methane is a very powerful greenhouse gas

and warms the planet so much in the early days.

That's another kind of emergency brake solution.

As is limiting what we call black carbon emissions

from kind of dirty cook stoves

or incomplete combustion or dirty diesel engines.

Black carbon or soot also warms the atmosphere

and does so very quickly, kind of like methane.

So all of these kinds

of things but also reducing energy waste and food waste.

These are all emergency brake solutions that

can have a disproportionately fast impact on the atmosphere.

The next wave of climate actions

I might call the kind of infrastructure wave.

We're building new low carbon systems.

This is absolutely crucial too,

and begins today but will take a little longer

to unfold because it requires us to build whole new systems

for electricity, for buildings, transportation industry

and even our farms and agriculture.

Basically, we've gotta remodel like everything

in the world and it's gonna take years

and billions and billions of dollars.

So let's start now.

But this will take a bit of time and will unfold

like that blue wave out into the future decades.

Along the same time, we have to make investments

in social interventions that help people now

and continue to pay off for climate

into the future like investing in indigenous communities,

helping women and girls around the world get

more equity in their systems in healthcare and education.

These put people first and continue

to pay dividends into the future for people and the planet.

We also can look at nature-based solutions,

things that remove carbon

out of the atmosphere, using trees,

using soils and farms maybe even using the oceans.

But it recognizes

that trees and soils and ecosystems everywhere

take time to build up carbon, even decades.

So we start them now

but they start to affect the atmosphere more

and more in the next two to three decades.

Then lastly, we'll look at the most unpredictable wave

of climate solutions, new technologies.

It's really hard to predict which technologies will succeed

and which ones won't.

Well, it turns out we often have

to bet on hundreds of technologies just

to get two or three to work out really well.

So that's what we need to do is keep investing today

in new innovations, new research

and development so that we have the bets placed

to find out which technologies will help us in the future.

This will require continued investment every year

from now until mid-century, hoping that some

of them will really pay off and provide solutions maybe

in the out decades to address

the last parts of climate change.

But using these ways together, making sure we

hit the emergency brakes and build infrastructure

build out nature-based solutions and invest

in social interventions while we're also investing

in innovation and r and d are critical

to making sure we have a complete portfolio

of climate solutions that roll

out over time effectively into the future.

So beyond working on sectors of climate solutions

and the time skills of climate solutions, we also

have to be mindful of how they work across geographies

how they work basically in places around the world.

As we do that though, we should look for leverage points

in the system that is kind of places that are more important

than others to take our first actions.

For example, here's a map showing

the emissions of greenhouse gases from power plants

in North America.

The red places emit a lot more greenhouse gas

per megawatt hour of electricity produced

than the yellow ones or the green ones.

So if you wanna stop climate change, we probably

gotta first focus on the red and orange power plants first

'cause they're the dirtiest ones.

Then we get to the yellow and the green ones.

It turns out about 70% of the greenhouse gas

emissions come from about 30% of the power plants.

That's a good leverage point.

Another one in the United States is often reported

that about 30% of the leaking methane coming

from natural gas wells happens from only 1% of the wells.

Well, if that's true

let's go find those 1% and bring a wrench

because we can shut down those leaks and have a huge impact

on methane emissions in the United States from

focusing our attention on the worst polluters out there.

The same thing's true around deforestation.

It turns out about half of the world's deforestation

happens in the Amazon basin here

and in Indonesia on the other side of the planet here.

When we zoom into the Amazon basin, we can further see

that in the red areas or where the forest are

the densest and contain the most carbon.

So these are areas you might want

to preserve most of all from deforestation.

If we overlay these maps of carbon with maps of biodiversity

but also maps of important indigenous community rights

we may be able to guide to preserve force

that are the most important to people and the planet.

Most of all though, what I want to find are

what I call the 80 20 rules for geographic leverage.

Like where can we find the biggest bang for

the buck in working in different places around the world?

Where do we get the biggest impact for the least investment?

And that might be in geographies like a particular place

but sometimes it'll look like this in a supply chain

in a place like you know, where we're maybe importing stuff

from one country into another.

And that's where we have to be very mindful

of not only the physical geography

but the economic geography

of how we use things around the world.

The fourth part of the roadmap is moving

beyond allocating our work

on climate change from sectors to time to geographies.

And now it flips it around to look for something

different where we're actually looking here now

to maximize the co-benefits of climate solutions.

What does that mean?

Well, co-benefits means something like this.

Where we wanna find win-win solutions that address climate

change but do something else,

for example maybe help nature in some other way

than climate change like preserving the biodiversity

in integrity of forest ecosystems around the world.

That's important too.

Can we find climate solutions that also help forest?

Or what about the oceans?

Are there climate solutions

that protect coastal or open ocean ecosystems

and preserve marine habitats and species?

Sure, there are lots

of win-win solutions that help climate change

and other environmental issues

around the world and we should look for those.

We should also though perhaps most

of all look for solutions that are win-win opportunities

for climate and people

especially people who've done the least to harm our planet

and cause climate change, but are sometimes

seeing the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

So how do we find these win-win opportunities

between people and climate change?

Some work at Project Drawdown,

for example shown climate solutions

on the left focusing on low and middle income countries

and where they could be cutting emissions

in the future as they develop their economies, but also now

on the right showing how those solutions could also improve

the economy and human welfare

of people who live in the most abject poverty

in the poorest of the poor countries of the world.

And so what I love about this part of the Drawdown Roadmap

is it reminds us that climate change is one

of the issues we should be looking at.

And as we address climate change, maybe we could be smart

about it and find other ways to address other issues

so that we're not just avoiding climate change

we're just building a better world where we have

healthy ecosystems, healthy people, more equity

and justice and we averted the climate crisis all

at the same time by finding these synergistic

win-win co-benefits of climate action.

Now, the last part

of the Drawdown Roadmap is reminding us sometimes barriers

between where we are and where we need to go

and we need to be mindful of all of them.

So here we are with solutions

to climate change that we've talked about before,

the kind of earth portfolio of target solutions down below.

And we wanna grow those to scale.

We want them to get bigger

and take charge and avert the climate crisis.

But there are sometimes barriers in the way.

Now we know about some,

if you're in DC and maybe you think about policy a lot

you're gonna be paying a lot of attention to this one.

The policy and regulatory barriers.

Well good, we need to remove those.

Well, maybe you work

in banking or at a foundation or something.

You're worried about the money

it takes to use climate solutions.

So you're thinking about investing philanthropy

and the capital barriers

that are here and the financing barriers.

Yep, we need that too.

Or you might be thinking about how businesses could do more

on climate change, but it doesn't make sense

in the current business environment.

We need to change business practice so we align

business interest with the interest of the planet better.

Yep, that's needed too.

Or maybe it's technology or maybe it's behavior

and culture is getting in the way.

Yes, yes, yes, and yes,

all of these barriers are important.

The key here is to recognize they're all happening

at the same time, there's not just one.

And so if you might be focusing on policy barriers,

it might turn out the real issue is a cultural one

or a technological barrier, or maybe it's a business model.

And so by looking at these together

we can see how these barriers interact

and how we need to address all of them, not just one.

So it's just a reminder

to kind of remove our blinders and see the whole picture

because that's where the game is being played.

So by putting together all these five parts

of the Drawdown Roadmap, we can see a way forward.

First of all, we see how we should best allocate our money

our effort, our resources to stopping the climate crisis.

The Drawdown Roadmap shows us very precisely

how we should be allocating our work

across sectors and solutions so we get

the right mix of the total effort to do the job correctly.

It also shows us what we need to do across time

that we use emergency brakes to bend the curve on emissions

now, while other solutions like infrastructure

nature and social interventions play out

into the future and we continue

to invest in new technologies that could help be

the wild card the change solutions out into the mid-century,

that's how we allocate the workout over time.

And we need to do that right too.

We also show in the Drawdown Roadmap how to use geography

and finding those kind of 80 20 rules

where some action and pivotal locations,

hotspots around the world if you will

will have the biggest bang for the buck.

But also the roadmap tells us we should always be looking

for co-benefits of climate action

for other aspects of nature, but most of all for people.

And finally, the roadmap reminds us we have to be mindful

of multiple barriers, not just one, not just policy

not just technology, but all of these barriers.

And we need to look at them in a very comprehensive way.

So taken together the Drawdown Roadmap, it starts

with the science of this planet and gives a five point plan

of how to take the most effective climate action.

And this can guide the work

of businesses and governments and communities

investors and philanthropists around the world.

And in the next unit, we're gonna show you

how each of these communities can take the most

effective climate action based on our Drawdown Roadmap.

(gentle music)

(birds chirping)