The Drawdown Agenda

The Drawdown Agenda

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Episode 14: Towards Drawdown 2.0 with Dr Jonathan Foley

http://thedrawdownagenda.com/podcasts/14.Jonathon-Foley.mp3
Play in New WindowDownload

Two years on from the book’s publication, the Drawdown team have got their sights on how they can turn their groundbreaking research into action. In this interview, we talk to Drawdown Executive Director Dr. Jonathan Foley to reflect on the research’s impact and discuss plans for Drawdown 2.0, the next iteration of Drawdown that will help implement solutions across sectors and across the globe.

As a renowned scientist and science communicator, Jonathan tells us that he initially admired Drawdown from afar before taking over as director from Paul Hawken. According to Jonathan, Drawdown’s core strengths lie in how it combines rigorous scientific research with strong storytelling. Moreover, by setting a clearly defined goal to reverse global warming, it has resonated with both the public and those leadership positions. We also take a broad look at Drawdown’s research and reflect on some of the key takeaways, notably the vital importance of agriculture and land use solutions, something that is now entering the climate mainstream. With regards to progress in each sector, Jonathan reflects that it is a mixed picture, with substantial success in electricity but solutions still lagging in both buildings and transport. Although the steep drops in emissions required to stay under 2°C of warming may seem insurmountable, Jonathan stresses that it is nonetheless possible should one consider exponential roadmaps of emissions reduction.

Looking ahead, we discuss in detail plans for Drawdown 2.0. Jonathan tells us that the team are looking to further digitize the research through a platform that is updated in real time. In addition, there are also plans for a directory with a comprehensive list of different organizations and groups that are implementing solutions to help create a network of changemakers. Another strategy is to work with actors on the ground in key jurisdictions, notably cities, business leaders, investors and philanthropists, especially to marshal capital towards climate solutions that typically receive less attention. Finally, the team also intend to carry forward Drawdown’s empowering climate message by seeking to reach prominent influencers to shape the public’s perception of the climate crisis. Finally, we also briefly discuss whether our political and economic paradigm is capable of meeting the challenge, looking specifically at the role of business. Jonathan firmly believes that climate is above all a technical problem and that there is ample opportunity to work with committed and sincere businesses to help nudge the system towards change.

Dr. Jonathan Foley is a world-renowned environmental scientist, sustainability expert, author, and public speaker. His work is focused on understanding our changing planet, and finding new solutions to sustain the climate, ecosystems, and natural resources we all depend on. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific articles, including many highly cited works in Science, Nature, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. He is also a trusted advisor to governments, foundations, NGOs, and business leaders around the world. A noted science communicator, Jonathoan’s presentations have featured at hundreds of international venues, including the World Bank, the National Geographic Society, the Commonwealth Club and TED.com. His writing regularly appears in leading publications and he is frequently interviewed by major television networks.

Before joining Project Drawdown, Foley led a number of world-leading environmental science and sustainability organizations. He has founded and led climate and environment departments at the University of Wisconsin and University of Minnesota. He also served as the Executive Director of the California Academy of Sciences, one of the greenest and more forward-thinking science museums in the world.

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • google+
  • pinterest
  • stumbleupon

Episode 13: Drawdown: What Happened & What’s Next with Chad Frischmann

http://thedrawdownagenda.com/podcasts/13.Chad-Frischmann.mp3
Play in New WindowDownload

With action groups forming from the United States to Cameroon, the success of Drawdown in galvanizing climate action is something that took even the Drawdown team by surprise. In this episode, we take a step back from the sector-by-sector analysis and talk to Drawdown lead researcher and principal architect of methodology and modelling Chad Frischmann to discuss Drawdown’s impact as a climate communication tool and the team’s plans moving forwards.

According to Chad, Drawdown’s success is due to the fact it represents a marker on the horizon for a common a vision of “a future we want”. Reflecting on the past twenty-five years of climate communication, Chad stresses that the emphasis on fear and conflict and the use of martial language around emissions reductions has only instilled a sense of distance and apathy among people. In essence, communicators have been “marketing the wrong thing”. Instead, Drawdown’s approach that focuses on collaboration and the tangible solutions with cascading social benefits makes resolving the climate crisis seem rational and desirable. However, Drawdown is more than a list of solutions. Taken together, it represents a radical system change from one that is inherently destructive and exploitative, to one that is regenerative and distributive.

As well as discussing Drawdown’s success as a communications tool, we also consider developments in the space since the book’s publication in 2017. With regards to the twenty “coming attractions” in the book, Chad emphasizes that our limited carbon budget means we are in a climate emergency and that we can and must strive to achieve drawdown with the solutions already available. However, it is clear that when they come online, these could be crucial in hastening the journey towards drawdown. Although the “coming attractions” are all on different time-frames of adaptation some of them, like marine permaculture, ocean farming and using asparagopsis taxiformis as animal feed, could be around the corner and will soon be modelled as solutions.

We also discuss Drawdown as a tool for policy makers. While the book’s modelling is global in nature, implementing solutions, by municipalities, businesses or community groups, will be dependent on local considerations and contexts. We also touch-on developments in the climate movement, notably with the school strikes and Extinction Rebellion and also discuss Drawdown’s future iterations and their ambition of reaching a billion people.

A coalition-builder and systems strategist, Chad Frischmann works to reverse global warming and build a new, regenerative future with cascading benefits to the environment and to human well-being. He is the lead researcher and principal architect of the methodology and models behind Project Drawdown. In collaboration with leading environmentalist Paul Hawken and a global team of researchers and thought leaders, Chad designed sophisticated models to assess the world’s most effective climate solutions and determine if, when, and how the world can reach “drawdown”. As head of research since Project Drawdown’s inception, Chad is a key spokesperson and coalition-builder dedicated to sharing the message and model of Drawdown with the world.

With a multidisciplinary background in public policy, human rights, sustainable development, and environmental conservation, Chad provides a systems-based approach to research and strategic leadership. Previously, Chad was the Senior Program Officer at The Europaeum, an association of leading European universities; taught at the University of Oxford and the University of California at Berkeley; and worked as a consultant and researcher for numerous organizations, from small grassroots non-profits to UN agencies such as UNESCO and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

  • facebook
  • linkedin
  • twitter
  • google+
  • pinterest
  • stumbleupon

Recent Posts

  • Episode 14: Towards Drawdown 2.0 with Dr Jonathan Foley
  • Episode 13: Drawdown: What Happened & What’s Next with Chad Frischmann
  • Episode 12: Buildings & Cities with David Mead
  • Episode 11: Behaviour change with Brett Jenks of Rare
  • Episode 10: Finance with Kevin Bayuk

Categories

  • Featured
  • Home
  • Uncategorized

Copyright © 2019 · Playcast Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in