Climate Solutions

The project Drawdown Explorer analyzes solutions in four categories:

Highly Recommended: solutions that meet all of Project Drawdown’s criteria for global climate solutions
Worthwhile: solutions that can still help mitigate climate change but do not meet the scale to be considered a major climate solution
Keep Watching: solutions that have potential but are not yet available in the real world – or the technology still lacks clear effectiveness, evidence, or a reasonable cost – and are not yet ready to be deployed
Not Recommended: solutions that, at the end of the day, we do not recommend as a climate solution, either because they are not scientifically plausible or they present a high level of risk.

Below you find the solutions ranked according to their CO2 reduction capabilities.

Solution	Sector(s)	CO2 Reduction Scenario 1 *	CO2 Reduction Scenario 2 *
Reduced Food Waste	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	88.50	102.20
Plant-Rich Diets	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	78.33	103.11
Family Planning and Education	Health and Education	68.90	68.90
Refrigerant Management	Industry / Buildings	57.15	57.15
Tropical Forest Restoration	Land Sinks	54.45	85.14
Onshore Wind Turbines	Electricity	46.95	143.56
Alternative Refrigerants	Industry / Buildings	42.73	48.75
Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaics	Electricity	40.83	111.59
Clean Cooking	Buildings	31.38	76.34
Distributed Solar Photovoltaics	Electricity	26.65	64.86
Silvopasture	Land Sinks	26.58	42.31
Methane Leak Management	Other Energy	25.83	31.29
Peatland Protection and Rewetting	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	25.40	40.27
Tree Plantations (on Degraded Land)	Land Sinks	22.04	35.09
Temperate Forest Restoration	Land Sinks	19.42	27.85
Concentrated Solar Power	Electricity	18.00	21.51
Perennial Staple Crops	Land Sinks	16.34	32.87
Insulation	Electricity / Buildings	15.38	18.54
Regenerative Annual Cropping	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	15.12	23.21
Tree Intercropping	Land Sinks	15.03	24.40
LED Lighting	Electricity	14.45	15.69
Managed Grazing	Land Sinks	13.72	20.92
Multistrata Agroforestry	Land Sinks	13.26	23.94
Conservation Agriculture	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	12.81	8.08
Abandoned Farmland Restoration	Land Sinks	12.48	20.32
Recycling	Industry	10.36	11.29
Offshore Wind Turbines	Electricity	10.22	9.89
Improved Rice Production	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	9.85	14.43
Building Automation Systems	Electricity / Buildings	9.55	14.01
Public Transit	Transportation	9.42	15.42
Efficient Trucks	Transportation	9.15	10.77
Carpooling	Transportation	9.06	11.07
High-Performance Glass	Electricity / Buildings	8.82	11.34
Indigenous Peoples’ Forest Tenure	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	8.69	12.51
Alternative Cement	Industry	7.70	15.56
Bamboo Production	Land Sinks	7.70	19.60
Electric Cars	Transportation	7.66	9.76
Smart Thermostats	Electricity / Buildings	6.91	7.25
Efficient Ocean Shipping	Transportation	6.72	9.83
Waste to Energy	Electricity / Industry	6.27	5.24
District Heating	Electricity / Buildings	6.18	9.68
Geothermal Power	Electricity	6.15	9.17
Methane Digesters	Electricity / Industry	6.02	7.05
Forest Protection	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	5.55	8.83
Efficient Aviation	Transportation	5.29	5.82
Biogas for Cooking	Buildings	4.65	9.70
Improved Cattle Feed	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	4.42	15.05
Recycled Metals	Industry	4.31	12.34
High-Efficiency Heat Pumps	Electricity / Buildings	4.04	9.05
Perennial Biomass Production	Land Sinks	4.00	7.04
Landfill Methane Capture	Electricity / Industry	3.89	-1.48
Seafloor Protection	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	3.80	5.14
Reduced Plastics	Industry	3.76	5.40
Solar Hot Water	Electricity / Buildings	3.41	13.73
Grassland Protection	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	3.35	4.25
Improved Manure Management	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	3.34	6.09
Nuclear Power	Electricity	3.17	3.64
System of Rice Intensification	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	2.90	4.44
Walkable Cities	Transportation	2.83	3.51
Nutrient Management	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	2.77	11.48
Bicycle Infrastructure	Transportation	2.73	4.63
Telepresence	Transportation	2.64	4.43
Biomass Power	Electricity	2.62	3.59
Macroalgae Protection and Restoration	Coastal and Ocean Sinks	2.61	3.78
Seaweed Farming	Coastal and Ocean Sinks / Coastal and Ocean Sinks	2.50	4.72
Recycled Paper	Industry	2.28	2.90
Electric Trains	Transportation	1.91	3.25
Small Hydropower	Electricity	1.65	3.21
Hybrid Cars	Transportation	1.61	4.71
Electric Bicycles	Transportation	1.39	1.55
Biochar Production	Engineered Sinks	1.36	3.00
Sustainable Intensification for Smallholders	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Land Sinks	1.36	0.68
Bioplastics	Industry	1.33	2.48
Ocean Power	Electricity	1.27	0.80
High-Speed Rail	Transportation	1.26	3.62
Coastal Wetland Protection	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Coastal and Ocean Sinks	1.20	1.62
Composting	Industry	1.13	1.40
Farm Irrigation Efficiency	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	1.13	2.07
Improved Fisheries	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use / Coastal and Ocean Sinks	1.01	1.54
Low-Flow Fixtures	Electricity / Buildings	0.93	1.52
Coastal Wetland Restoration	Coastal and Ocean Sinks	0.76	1.00
Water Distribution Efficiency	Electricity	0.61	0.86
Green and Cool Roofs	Electricity / Buildings	0.53	0.99
Recycled Plastics	Industry	0.52	1.69
Improved Aquaculture	Food, Agriculture, and Land Use	0.50	0.78
Dynamic Glass	Electricity / Buildings	0.34	0.54
Micro Wind Turbines	Electricity	0.09	0.11
Building Retrofitting	Electricity / Buildings
Distributed Energy Storage	Electricity
Grid Flexibility	Electricity
Microgrids	Electricity
Net Zero Buildings	Electricity / Buildings
Utility-Scale Energy Storage	Electricity
		1050.91	1637.26