As editor Paul Hawken (Blessed Unrest) writes in the introduction to the immensely compelling Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, "reversing global warming requires a change in how we think and what we do." To help initiate these changes, Hawken--who's written seven books on ecological business solutions--and more than 120 scientists formed Project Drawdown, a think tank designed to draft, model, fact-check, review and validate scientific data surrounding climate change and the solutions proposed to end it. Drawdown contains 100 of the most viable solutions they found.
The collection comprises a variety of approaches, including the installment of more green energy generators like wind turbines and solar panels, and the repopulation of land above the Arctic Circle with grass-grazing mammals. The scientific reasoning that supports each solution is offered in layman's terms, and important numbers--such as a plan's total cost, cost per capita and predicted total reduction of carbon from the atmosphere--are highlighted for easy comparison.
Impressively, each strategy also includes a discussion of its inherent challenges. In the section devoted to wave and tidal energy, for example, scientists explain that saltwater damages equipment over time and that waves are less predictable than wind and sunlight--making their energy more difficult to harness. By acknowledging these challenges, the Project's scientists have collated a highly persuasive collection that world leaders--and community activists--can discuss frankly and with the intent of further improvement. Drawdown is not only comprehensive, it's crucial to our world's conversation about climate change. --Amy Brady, freelance writer and editor