Spring in the air, and it’s that time of year again — Project Drawdown is headed to San Francisco Climate Week 2026! And we want to see you there. We are packing our bags with science-backed climate solutions, game-changing platforms and tools, and a heavy dose of climate inspiration. Because, like you, we know it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation when it comes to the escalating climate crisis. We are going to need every lever at our disposal to step up our collective game — right now — to drive climate action more intentionally and aggressively than ever before.

For those who are unfamiliar, San Francisco Climate Week is an annual gathering where thought leaders, scientists, climate innovators, community leaders, and everyday citizens come together to connect, share ideas, and commit to tangible next steps for advancing climate solutions in their neighborhoods and around the world. 

From April 21–24, Project Drawdown is thrilled to be headed to the Bay Area for the third year in a row.

Have a look at the events below, and come find us in San Francisco to say hello. We’ll see you there!

Tuesday, April 21

Women & Allies in Climate Happy Hour

4:00–6:00 p.m. PT

The Clubhouse (Ground Floor), 150 Pacific Avenue, San Francisco, CA

Calling all Women and Allies in the San Francisco area! Join Women and Allies in Climate with The Nature Conservancy for happy hour. Enjoy networking with partners like The CARE-WWF Alliance, Project Drawdown, Arizona State University, and Planet Women while we celebrate our collective efforts. Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D., Project Drawdown’s Managing Director, will be there to connect with you!

Register for this informal gathering here.

Thursday, April 23: Climate Solutions Summit

In partnership with Climate Lead, Food System innovations, The All We Can Save Project, and ReFED, Project Drawdown will be hosting the Climate Solutions Summit, a day of exciting events at The Melody (906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA) on Thursday, April 23. Whether you drop by for one session or spend the whole day with us, we would be thrilled to welcome you. Register now for this FREE event!

Drawdown Explorer: Lessons Learned Since the Launch of the World’s Most Powerful Climate Solutions Platform

11:00–12:00 p.m. PT

The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA

Moderator: Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Drawdown

Panelists include:

• Amanda Smith, Ph.D., Senior Scientist of Built Environment, Project Drawdown
• Chad Upham, Creative Director, Covive

Launched just eight months ago, Drawdown Explorer has quickly established a reputation as the world’s leading climate solutions platform. It is what the climate movement has been missing: an all-encompassing platform using the best available data to provide decision-makers with actionable, localized intelligence on the most effective climate solutions. 

By aggregating and analyzing thousands of solutions across sectors – from energy and transportation to food systems and land use – Drawdown Explorer enables governments, businesses, and communities to prioritize interventions that have the greatest potential for measurable impact. Its open-access design ensures that anyone, anywhere, can explore climate solutions backed by rigorous science, making it a powerful tool for accelerating climate action globally.

This session will provide an inside look at the collaborative effort behind Drawdown Explorer, highlighting both the science behind the platform and how it was brought to life. Amanda Smith, Ph.D., will offer insight into the scientific methodology and the people behind Drawdown Explorer, including how solutions are assessed and evaluated within the platform. Drawdown Explorer’s developer, Chad Upham, will also share behind-the-scenes insights about the design process for an open-access online platform specifically built to provide detailed, up-to-date intelligence on climate solutions. The session will close with an audience Q&A and reflections from Jonathan Foley, Ph.D. on how this work shapes the future of climate action.

Register for this in-person session here. 

Pull the Emergency Brake: The Climate Solutions Demanding Urgent Action Today

12:00–1:00 p.m. PT

The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA

Speakers:

• Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Drawdown
• Stephan Nicoleau, Board Chair, Project Drawdown

While much of the world has started to commit to serious climate action, denial, delay, and apathy over the years have nevertheless cost us precious time. Today, reaching the aspirational 1.5  ̊C target of the Paris Accords may no longer be possible; even stopping climate change at 2  ̊C is looking difficult.

But we can accelerate progress by taking more effective action and focusing on so-called “Emergency Brake” climate solutions – especially those focused on short-lived pollutants.

In this session, Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Drawdown, and Stephan Nicoleau, Board Chair, Project Drawdown, will explain the untapped power of Emergency Brake solutions and explore how they can help “bend the curve” on near-term warming. Recognizing that a systematic scientific review of Emergency Brake solutions does not yet exist, they will discuss how Project Drawdown is addressing this unmet need through careful scientific analysis, deep stakeholder engagement, and a robust communications campaign to help bring Emergency Brake solutions deeper into the mainstream. Currently, Project Drawdown is evaluating the potential of 50–60 effective Emergency Brake solutions that can be deployed in tandem or individually to curb and delay future warming.

Register for this in-person session here. 

Closing the Funding Gap: Mobilizing Capital for Effective Climate Solutions

1:00–2:00 p.m. PT

The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA

Moderator: Amanda Bielawski, Ph.D., MBA, Director of Global Strategic Partnerships, Project Drawdown

Panelists include: 

• Lauren Gifford, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Climate Philanthropy and Investing, Project Drawdown
• Jennifer Kitt, President, Climate Lead
• Jennifer Caldwell, President, Caldwell Fisher Family Foundation
• Ernest Chow, Private Impact Investor

This session is brought to San Francisco Climate Week by Project Drawdown and Climate Lead. Climate Lead provides philanthropists with the information and insights they need to make a bold impact on climate from day one.

There is an urgent need for greater private capital flows toward science-based climate solutions. But how do we drive that change? 

Philanthropy and investing can play a huge role. This all-star panel brings together Jennifer Kitt, President of Climate Lead, with Project Drawdown’s scientific expertise to drive capital toward proven climate solutions and catalyze investment at scale. Panelists will explore the critical role donors and philanthropic advisors must play in making climate a top priority in the years ahead. 

Designed for donors, philanthropic advisors, impact investors, and others working to direct more capital toward high-impact climate solutions, this session focuses on how to identify and prioritize the most effective climate actions based on the latest science. Drawing on the expertise of our panelists and Project Drawdown’s research and emerging work in the climate investment space, we’ll highlight where capital is most needed, what distinguishes the highest-impact opportunities, and how to align giving and investment strategies accordingly. We’ll also share practical ways to navigate this landscape – through tools such as Drawdown Explorer and other resources that help translate insight into action with greater speed and clarity. 

Register for this in-person session here. 

From Farm to Table to Planet: How Do We Feed the World Without Destroying It?

2:00–3:00 p.m. PT

The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA

Moderator: Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Drawdown

Panelists include:

• Kelly McNamara, Climate & Nature Director, Food System Innovations
• Alexandria Coari - Vice President, Capital, Innovation, & Global Initiatives, ReFED
• Lauren Gifford, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Climate Philanthropy and Investing, Project Drawdown

When we think of the chief causes of climate change, the first thing that often comes to mind is the use of fossil fuels for electricity production, transportation, and industry. But an equally significant, yet far less recognized, contributor to climate change often gets short shrift: the global food system.

Given that a whopping 22–33% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the food, agriculture and land use sector, the systems we use to produce food have huge unrealized potential to help halt climate change.

In this session, moderated by Jonathan Foley, Ph.D., Executive Director, Project Drawdown, and featuring Lauren Gifford, Ph.D., Senior Advisor, Climate Philanthropy and Investing, Project Drawdown, panelists will explore the many ways food-related climate solutions can drive progress in the broader global effort to bring climate change to heel. Project Drawdown continues to share the results of cutting-edge research in this space in order to help businesses, impact investors, funders, and other stakeholders identify and deploy the most impactful food, agriculture, and land use solutions.

Register for this in-person session here. 

From Ache to Action: The Human Work of Climate Change

3:00–4:00 p.m. PT

The Melody, 906 Broadway, San Francisco, CA

Speakers:

• Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D., Managing Director, Project Drawdown
• Katharine Wilkinson, Ph.D., Co-founder, The All We Can Save Project

Climate solutions don't implement themselves — they require people who are informed, motivated, and equipped to act. The SHIFT (Super High-Impact Initiative for Fixing Tomorrow) guide provides a research-based framework for connecting personal action to collective impact across five roles: citizen, professional, investor, consumer, and role model.

But knowing what to do is only part of the journey. When the path feels uncertain — or the weight of the moment becomes too hard to carry — how do we find our footing?

Katharine K. Wilkinson, Ph.D., co-editor of All We Can Save and lead writer of Drawdown, has written a new guide for exactly this moment. Climate Wayfinding: Healing Ourselves and the Planet We Call Home is a compassionate, empowering map for moving from ache to action, from doubt to possibility — “invaluable,” as Bill McKibben recently put it.

Join Wilkinson and Project Drawdown’s Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D., for a dynamic conversation and readings from the book. Together, they will explore how we orient ourselves within a changing world, identify where we can contribute most, and sustain the energy to keep going. Whether you are a longtime climate practitioner or newly finding your footing, you will leave nourished, grounded, and better equipped for the road ahead.

Register for this in-person session here. 

Friday, April 24

Climate Action Youth Summit

10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. PT

Yerba Buena Gardens, 750 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA

Join Elizabeth Bagley, Ph.D., at the 2026 Climate Action Youth Summit! 

Discover innovative projects, connect with change makers, and explore green career opportunities. The event is one of San Francisco’s biggest FREE climate events of the year to celebrate youth-led climate action and empower San Francisco’s youth to explore their interests through an environmental lens! 

Community members will be able to: 

• enjoy youth presentations across areas like science and art
• meet youth-focused community organizations
• listen to inspirational stories from young leaders.

High school and college students can network at the Career Mixer and participate in a clothing swap.

Register to secure your free ticket for this in-person session here.

About Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is the world’s leading guide to science-based climate solutions. Our mission is to drive meaningful climate action around the world. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Project Drawdown is funded by individual and institutional donations.

To determine the global efficiency of the agri-food system, researchers analyzed the fate of the top 50 crops by calorie production between 2010 and 2020, amounting to nearly 98% of all calories produced. They found that, in 2020, only half of all calories produced on croplands were available for people to eat, while the other half were “lost” as livestock feed, biofuels, or other non-food uses. 

Concerningly, even though total calorie production increased from 2010 to 2020 by roughly 24%, calories for human consumption increased only 17%, reflecting a decrease in how efficiently croplands are being used to directly feed people. 

We don’t have a food scarcity problem – we have a cropland use problem,” says study author and Project Drawdown Senior Scientist Paul West, Ph.D. “Nearly 40% of all calories produced were used as feed for livestock, which yield far fewer calories for human consumption. Beef cattle in particular are inefficient in converting feed to human food, consuming one-third of feed calories but only providing 9% of the food calories we get from livestock. Shifting cropland now used to grow feed to produce food for people instead could dramatically reduce the harmful impacts of agriculture on climate, water resources and wildlife habitat.”

Nearly 5% of calories produced were used for biofuels. Although these are less polluting than fossil fuels, they still are responsible for significant greenhouse gas emissions, particularly when land use is taken into account. 

According to the study, such inefficiencies were particularly pronounced in a small set of countries. For instance, around 23% and 29% of total calorie production in the United States and Brazil, respectively, were used to feed people. In contrast, 84% of India’s calorie production feeds people. 

In particular, the researchers found that if people in higher-income countries consumed chicken in place of beef – except for the 14 grams of beef per person per day allowed for optimal human and planetary health (roughly a hamburger per week) – the “lost calories” avoided would be enough to meet the caloric needs of 850 million people. More than half of the added benefit would come from the substitution taking place in the United States and Brazil, alone.

“Today’s global food system is staggeringly unsustainable,” says study author and Project Drawdown researcher Emily Cassidy. “Shifting to lower levels of beef consumption and reducing biofuel production could free up an immense amount of land.”

Ironically, the increasing inefficiency of cropland use not only increasingly exacerbates climate change, but it also may be exacerbated by it.

“If we don’t change what we’re growing and consuming, this could contribute to a vicious cycle,” says study author and Project Drawdown Senior Scientist James Gerber, Ph.D. “These inefficiencies could drive continued cropland expansion, leading to higher agricultural emissions and more global warming, which in turn could decrease crop yields, resulting in even more cropland expansion, and on and on.” 

Ultimately, the researchers hope these findings will help guide strategic interventions that can feed the planet without destroying it. 

“All of the solutions to close this efficiency gap already exist,” Cassidy says. “By targeting actions and policies for the commodities and countries that are the worst offenders, we can have an outsized impact on improving food security, health, and the environment.”

About Project Drawdown
Project Drawdown is the world’s leading guide to science-based climate solutions. Our mission is to drive meaningful climate action around the world. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Project Drawdown is funded by individual and institutional donations.