Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown
Name	Project Drawdown
Type	Nonprofit organization
Founded	2014
Founders	Paul Hawken
Headquarters	United States
Focus	Climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas reduction

Project Drawdown Project Drawdown is an environmental nonprofit and research initiative that catalogs, models, and promotes practical solutions to reduce greenhouse gas concentrations. It synthesizes analyses from technical experts, academic institutions, and industry stakeholders to rank mitigation strategies by potential avoided emissions. The initiative interfaces with policy debates, corporate sustainability efforts, and international climate forums.

Overview

Project Drawdown assembles interdisciplinary teams including contributors associated with Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Oxford University, Columbia University, Princeton University, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Michigan, Cornell University, University of British Columbia, University of Tokyo, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, ClimateWorks Foundation, World Resources Institute, United Nations Environment Programme, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Energy Agency, Food and Agriculture Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Ford Foundation, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Brookings Institution, Council on Foreign Relations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, European Commission, Green Climate Fund, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, World Economic Forum, Apple Inc., Microsoft, Tesla, Inc., Google.

History and Development

The initiative originated from the work of environmentalist and author Paul Hawken and was developed amid growing international attention following the Paris Agreement negotiations, the publication of influential climate reports like the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report, and initiatives by organizations such as Sierra Club, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth. Early collaborations involved experts from Project Drawdown partners, academic consortia, and technical advisors who had previously worked on projects at Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, Harvard Kennedy School, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, and MIT Energy Initiative. Milestones include the release of a flagship book and an open database designed to inform participants in policy processes at venues such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and stakeholder discussions at the COP21 and subsequent Conference of the Parties meetings.

Methodology and Modeling

Analytic methods draw on lifecycle assessment, integrated assessment models, and bottom-up sectoral analyses developed by researchers at National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, and university labs. The initiative synthesizes data from peer-reviewed journals, technical reports by International Energy Agency, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and databases maintained by Food and Agriculture Organization and World Bank. Modeling assumptions interface with scenarios from Representative Concentration Pathways and shared socioeconomic pathways developed by the climate modeling community. Peer review and expert review panels include scholars from Princeton University, Oxford University, Columbia University, Imperial College London, and practitioners from World Resources Institute.

Major Solutions and Rankings

Project Drawdown presents ranked mitigation solutions spanning sectors such as energy, food systems, land use, transport, buildings, and materials. Top-ranked items often include measures linked to rooftop solar deployment championed in case studies similar to innovations from Tesla, Inc. and policy examples in Germany, China, India, United States, and Denmark; refrigeration and refrigerant management reflecting standards in Montreal Protocol amendments; dietary shifts echoed in reports by FAO and initiatives linked to Slow Food and EAT-Lancet Commission; improved rice cultivation practices analogous to programs supported by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; and natural climate solutions such as afforestation and reforestation referenced alongside projects by The Nature Conservancy and World Wildlife Fund. The rankings incorporate mitigation potential, net cost or savings, and assumptions drawn from empirical studies produced by Harvard University, Stanford University, and Yale University researchers.

Criticisms and Controversies

Scholars and commentators from institutions such as University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, University College London, and Stockholm Environment Institute have debated aspects of the initiative’s methodology, including baseline assumptions, attribution of avoided emissions, and treatment of co-benefits. Critics from think tanks like Cato Institute and Institute for Energy Research have challenged cost estimates and feasibility, while environmental organizations including 350.org and Extinction Rebellion have questioned reliance on technological fixes versus systemic change. Debates have referenced work by economists at Harvard Kennedy School and Stanford Graduate School of Business on discounting and valuation, and have engaged legal scholars from Georgetown University Law Center and Columbia Law School over governance implications.

Impact and Implementation

Outputs have informed policymaking in municipal programs such as initiatives by C40 Cities, national planning in jurisdictions like Costa Rica, Bhutan, and Germany, and corporate sustainability strategies at firms including Microsoft, Google, and Unilever. The research has been cited in academic articles from Nature Climate Change, Environmental Research Letters, and policy briefs distributed through World Bank and OECD channels. Training programs and toolkits developed in collaboration with universities at Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley have supported implementation by practitioners in NGOs like The Nature Conservancy and local governments participating in ICLEI networks.

Funding and Organization Structure

Funding has come from philanthropic institutions such as Eaton Corporation Foundation partners, major donors similar in profile to Rockefeller Foundation and Grantham Foundation for the Protection of the Environment, and support from foundations aligned with ClimateWorks Foundation strategies. Organizational structure includes a board with experienced leaders drawn from nonprofit management and academia, an advisory council comprising researchers affiliated with Harvard University, Stanford University, Yale University, Oxford University, and operational staff coordinating research, outreach, and partnerships with entities such as World Resources Institute and National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

Category:Climate change mitigation