Welcome 2020: Let's Focus on How to Make Our Biggest Impacts Posted on Jan 07, 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.

Rank Solution Sector TOTAL ATMOSPHERIC CO2-EQ REDUCTION (GT) NET COST (BILLIONS US $) SAVINGS (BILLIONS US $)
1034.75
$29,609.30
$74,362.37
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
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