Net zero climate marketing is ramping up while trust in corporate climate claims is plummeting. How do you share good news about emissions reductions while being honest about emissions that are still occurring?
Everyone’s talking about climate solutions. But what exactly makes something a climate solution? Who figures out if it’s truly a solution, and how?
Post-election periods are always challenging for issues like climate change, regardless of the outcome. Jubilation following a victory can lead to complacency, and disappointment following a loss can lead to feelings of helplessness.
Voting, however, is just one way to make your voice heard, and though election outcomes have significant implications for climate policy, they are not the sole determinant of what will shape our future. Consistent, well-informed, long-term participation from people like you will make the most significant and enduring difference.
A message from Project Drawdown and Executive Director Jonathan Foley, Ph.D.
Dear Friends of Project Drawdown,
I’m writing to you today with a heavy heart – and a deeply reenergized commitment to our work on climate change.
Can efforts to boost food security also reduce climate threats and benefit nature? Yes, suggests a new study of hunger-alleviating options in Senegal by researchers from the Project Drawdown and the University of Minnesota.
“Improving Food Security in Senegal,” an Esri story map developed by Project Drawdown senior scientist Paul West and colleagues, shows how strategically aligning goals can multiply returns on investment for development agencies and other funders – including lessons ready to be applied in other countries or regions.
With up to 28 percent of the rural population in some areas undernourished, improving food systems is an important goal in this west African country, says Senior Scientist Paul West, who led Project Drawdown’s portion of the project along with Associate Scientist Yusuf Jameel. Efforts to do so traditionally have focused on boosting crop yields. But because nearly three-fourths of the food eaten in Senegal is imported, improved agriculture is only part of the solution. Off-farm income is a leading indicator of food security. Access to electricity enables more economic opportunities, yet 57% of people living in rural communities lack it.. Notably, efforts to advance all three of these can be strategically aligned with efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and boost human and ecosystem health as well as economic opportunities.
Among the key findings:
The researchers conclude by noting the implications of their findings extend far beyond Senegal.
“The methodology and underlying data sets can be easily adapted to identify and target high-impact solutions in specific areas within other countries or regions to benefit people's well-being and nature while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding future ones,” they write. “Through targeted action and project design, bundles of solutions can more effectively improve many aspects of people's lives, fostering systemic change.”
“Improving Food Security in Senegal” summarizes the contributions of Project Drawdown, the University of Minnesota, and Natural Capital Insights to USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sustainable Intensification. Check out the story map to learn more.
I’ll admit it: I like beef. Like many Americans, I was brought up to believe that beef was a central part of a traditional family meal.
My mom made it. My kids ate it. Marketing campaigns told me it was healthy. Everywhere I went, I saw Americans eating lots of it. And for many years, I didn’t question these choices.
