Drawdown - by Paul Hawken (Paperback)

The 100 most substantive solutions to reverse global warming, based on meticulous research by leading scientists and policymakers around the world

"At this point in time, the Drawdown book is exactly what is needed; a credible, conservative solution-by-solution narrative that we can do it. Reading it is an effective inoculation against the widespread perception of doom that humanity cannot and will not solve the climate crisis. Reported by-effects include increased determination and a sense of grounded hope." --Per Espen Stoknes, Author, What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming

"There's been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom." --David Roberts, Vox

"This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook--only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook." --Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA

In the face of widespread fear and apathy, an international coalition of researchers, professionals, and scientists have come together to offer a set of realistic and bold solutions to climate change. One hundred techniques and practices are described here--some are well known; some you may have never heard of. They range from clean energy to educating girls in lower-income countries to land use practices that pull carbon out of the air. The solutions exist, are economically viable, and communities throughout the world are currently enacting them with skill and determination. If deployed collectively on a global scale over the next thirty years, they represent a credible path forward, not just to slow the earth's warming but to reach drawdown, that point in time when greenhouse gases in the atmosphere peak and begin to decline. These measures promise cascading benefits to human health, security, prosperity, and well-being--giving us every reason to see this planetary crisis as an opportunity to create a just and livable world.

Review Quotes

"There's been no real way for ordinary people to get an understanding of what they can do and what impact it can have. There remains no single, comprehensive, reliable compendium of carbon-reduction solutions across sectors. At least until now. . . . The public is hungry for this kind of practical wisdom."
--David Roberts, Vox

"This is the ideal environmental sciences textbook--only it is too interesting and inspiring to be called a textbook."
--Peter Kareiva, Director of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA

"Drawdown is not just a project--it is an adventure. It is a promising story that has the potential to engage every person on the planet with at least one solution to climate change, whether it is educating girls, improved rice cultivation, creating walkable cities, eating a plant-rich diet, household recycling, or any of the other solutions."
--Karen O'Brien, cCHANGE

"Drawdown is an exceptional example of cooperation between some of the sharpest thinkers on climate and energy matters, an atlas that has the potential to save the planet."
--Andreas Kuhlmann, CEO German Energy Agency

"It will give you the best kind of hope, the kind that balances realism with radical vision. . . . Stabilizing the climate system will require a heroic global effort, but the point here is only to show that . . . such an effort can do more than merely succeed; that it can succeed well, and open into futures that we can actually bear to contemplate."
--Tom Athanasiou, The Nation

"The Paul Hawken presentation I just experienced at Telluride Mountainfilm was simply the best speech I have ever heard. And, not so incidentally, also the most important. To come at the world's most important issue in an entirely novel fashion is a monumental feat."
-- Tom Peters, American writer on business management practices, best known for In Search of Excellence

"In the course of 20-some years of investigating and writing about global warming I've become all too familiar with that dynamic of gloom/doom/shame/fear/apathy, and I think Hawken has put his finger on exactly why we haven't made more policy progress. The biggest anchor dragging behind this boat isn't climate denial or even indifference but, I suspect, the almost unspeakably deep, defeatist conviction that no response really matters because we are already so thoroughly screwed. I'm vulnerable to that despair at times and maybe you are, too. If so, read this book -- not just as an antidote to fear and despair but as foundation for understanding and supporting the kinds of change that really could be coming, and at every scale from your household to your company, your community, your county and state and national government."
--Ron Meador, MinnPost

"I am blown away by Drawdown. Like hearing an advance copy of Sergeant Pepper, back in the day."
--John Elkington, CEO Volans, author and world authority on sustainable development

"Be kindly unto the scientists, for they may just save our skin--and make us happier and wealthier in the bargain. . . . An optimistic program for getting out of our current mess, well deserving of the broadest possible readership."
--Kirkus Review

"A rigorous and profoundly important resource."
--Donna Seaman, Booklist

"With a climate-denying party controlling the government, it can seem that there's no hope. . . . But a new book might change that--and serve as a blueprint for what comes next if the U.S. government (and the global community) begins to aggressively focus on altering the climate future. Drawdown is likely the most comprehensive model of climate solutions ever made."
--Fast Company

"Drawdown is a magnificent achievement."
--Greg Watson, Schumacher Center for New Economics

"This is one of the most powerful, hopeful, world-changing documents. A deeply peer reviewed, fully win-win, nearly no-regrets pathway . . . with a surprising ranking of the most important and impactful solutions. Paul Hawken's simple, elegant genius in leading this approach, can inspire rapid, catalytic action. "
--Andy Lipkis, TreePeople

"A bold plan to beat back climate change based on solutions already within our grasp."
--Outside Magazine

"At a time when the Trump administration is working to dismantle much of the nation's efforts to minimize climate change, Paul Hawken's new book swoops onto the scene like a knight in shining armor. . . . The book's release couldn't possibly come at a better time. Refreshingly absent of political analysis, it's grounded in scientific reality and will likely go a long way toward inciting people to action."
--The Portland Tribune

"Drawdown is likely the most hopeful thing you'll ever read about our ability to take on global warming."
--Joel Makower, GreenBiz

"This book is a beautiful, inspiring, and deeply satisfying read. Most importantly it is no more doom and gloom. It is OPTIMISTIC and empowering. Paul Hawken is a true visionary and a brilliant voice for real solutions."
--Jessica Rolph, Founding Partner, Happy Family

"It's so brilliant . . . a showstopper."
--Donald A. Falk, PhD, Associate Professor School of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of Arizona

About the Author