Welcome 2020: Let's Focus on How to Make Our Biggest Impacts
January 7, 2020
In case you are also starting 2020 with the goal of making your biggest impact on stopping a climate catastrophe, here is some data on how to have the biggest potential impact.
Project Drawdown’s ranking of the 80 solutions with the greatest potential impact on the CO2 challenge, if scaled by 2050.
1
Refrigerant Management
Materials
89.74
N/A
$-902.77
2
Wind Turbines (Onshore)
Electricity Generation
84.60
$1,225.37
$7,425.00
3
Reduced Food Waste
Food
70.53
N/A
N/A
4
Plant-Rich Diet
Food
66.11
N/A
N/A
5
Tropical Forests
Land Use
61.23
N/A
N/A
6
Educating Girls
Women and Girls
51.48
N/A
N/A
7
Family Planning
Women and Girls
51.48
N/A
N/A
8
Solar Farms
Electricity Generation
36.90
$-80.60
$5,023.84
9
Silvopasture
Food
31.19
$41.59
$699.37
10
Rooftop Solar
Electricity Generation
24.60
$453.14
$3,457.63
11
Regenerative Agriculture
Food
23.15
$57.22
$1,928.10
12
Temperate Forests
Land Use
22.61
N/A
N/A
13
Peatlands
Land Use
21.57
N/A
N/A
14
Tropical Staple Trees
Food
20.19
$120.07
$626.97
15
Afforestation
Land Use
18.06
$29.44
$392.33
16
Conservation Agriculture
Food
17.35
$37.53
$2,119.07
17
Tree Intercropping
Food
17.20
$146.99
$22.10
18
Geothermal
Electricity Generation
16.60
$-155.48
$1,024.34
19
Managed Grazing
Food
16.34
$50.48
$735.27
20
Nuclear
Electricity Generation
16.09
$0.88
$1,713.40
21
Clean Cookstoves
Food
15.81
$72.16
$166.28
22
Wind Turbines (Offshore)
Electricity Generation
14.10
$545.30
$762.50
23
Farmland Restoration
Food
14.08
$72.24
$1,342.47
24
Improved Rice Cultivation
Food
11.34
N/A
$519.06
25
Concentrated Solar
Electricity Generation
10.90
$1,319.70
$413.85
26
Electric Vehicles
Transport
10.80
$14,148.00
$9,726.40
27
District Heating
Buildings and Cities
9.38
$457.10
$3,543.50
28
Multistrata Agroforestry
Food
9.28
$26.76
$709.75
29
Wave and Tidal
Electricity Generation
9.20
$411.84
$-1,004.70
30
Methane Digesters (Large)
Electricity Generation
8.40
$201.41
$148.83
31
Insulation
Buildings and Cities
8.27
$3,655.92
$2,513.33
32
Ships
Transport
7.87
$915.93
$424.38
33
LED Lighting (Household)
Buildings and Cities
7.81
$323.52
$1,729.54
34
Biomass
Electricity Generation
7.50
$402.31
$519.35
35
Bamboo
Land Use
7.22
$23.79
$264.80
36
Alternative Cement
Materials
6.69
$-273.90
N/A
37
Mass Transit
Transport
6.57
N/A
$2,379.73
38
Forest Protection
Land Use
6.20
N/A
N/A
39
Indigenous Peoples’ Land Management
Land Use
6.19
N/A
N/A
40
Trucks
Transport
6.18
$543.54
$2,781.63
41
Solar Water
Electricity Generation
6.08
$2.99
$773.65
42
Heat Pumps
Buildings and Cities
5.20
$118.71
$1,546.66
43
Airplanes
Transport
5.05
$662.42
$3,187.80
44
LED Lighting (Commercial)
Buildings and Cities
5.04
$-205.05
$1,089.63
45
Building Automation
Buildings and Cities
4.62
$68.12
$880.55
46
Water Saving - Home
Materials
4.61
$72.44
$1,800.12
47
Bioplastic
Materials
4.30
$19.15
N/A
48
In-Stream Hydro
Electricity Generation
4.00
$202.53
$568.36
49
Cars
Transport
4.00
$-598.69
$1,761.72
50
Cogeneration
Electricity Generation
3.97
$279.25
$566.93
51
Perennial Biomass
Land Use
3.33
$77.94
$541.89
52
Coastal Wetlands
Land Use
3.19
N/A
N/A
53
System of Rice Intensification
Food
3.13
N/A
$677.83
54
Walkable Cities
Buildings and Cities
2.92
N/A
$3,278.24
55
Household Recycling
Materials
2.77
$366.92
$71.13
56
Industrial Recycling
Materials
2.77
$366.92
$71.13
57
Smart Thermostats
Buildings and Cities
2.62
$74.16
$640.10
58
Landfill Methane
Buildings and Cities
2.50
$-1.82
$67.57
59
Bike Infrastructure
Buildings and Cities
2.31
$-2,026.97
$400.47
60
Composting
Food
2.28
$-63.72
$-60.82
61
Smart Glass
Buildings and Cities
2.19
$932.30
$325.10
62
Women Smallholders
Women and Girls
2.06
N/A
$87.60
63
Telepresence
Transport
1.99
$127.72
$1,310.59
64
Methane Digesters (Small)
Electricity Generation
1.90
$15.50
$13.90
65
Nutrient Management
Food
1.81
N/A
$102.32
66
High-speed Rail
Transport
1.52
$1,038.42
$368.10
67
Farmland Irrigation
Food
1.33
$216.16
$429.67
68
Waste-to-Energy
Electricity Generation
1.10
$36.00
$19.82
69
Electric Bikes
Transport
0.96
$106.75
$226.07
70
Recycled Paper
Materials
0.90
$573.48
N/A
71
Water Distribution
Buildings and Cities
0.87
$137.37
$903.11
72
Biochar
Food
0.81
N/A
N/A
73
Green Roofs
Buildings and Cities
0.77
$1,393.29
$988.46
74
Trains
Transport
0.52
$808.64
$313.86
75
Ridesharing
Transport
0.32
N/A
$185.56
76
Micro Wind
Electricity Generation
0.20
$36.12
$19.90
77
Energy Storage (Distributed)
Electricity Generation
N/A
N/A
N/A
77
Energy Storage (Utilities)
Electricity Generation
N/A
N/A
N/A
77
Grid Flexibility
Electricity Generation
N/A
N/A
N/A
78
Microgrids
Electricity Generation
N/A
N/A
N/A
79
Net Zero Buildings
Buildings and Cities
N/A
N/A
N/A
80
Retrofitting
Buildings and Cities
N/A
N/A
N/A