The Drawdown Agenda

Fergal Byrne•thedrawdownagenda.transistor.fm

The Drawdown Agenda is an exciting new podcast series exploring the ground-breaking research behind the best-selling book Drawdown, a new and inspiring vision how we can reverse global warming by achieving “drawdown” – when atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations peak and begin to decline.

Every fortnight, we speak to key members of the Drawdown team, a broad coalition of researchers, scientists, policy makers, business leaders and activists who have mapped, measured, and modelled the 100 most important climate solutions that can help us reach “drawdown.” We explore the key carbon-reduction solutions across the seven sectors at the heart of Drawdown— food, women and girls, transport, materials, building and cities, and land use- as well as emerging solutions. We discuss how these solutions work in practice, explore the momentum for change, and look to the future as we learn how we can take collective action to achieve “drawdown.”

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Episodes

Episode 14: Towards Drawdown 2.0 with Dr. Jonathan Foley

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...

Sep 06, 2019•57 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast

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

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...

Jul 20, 2019•44 min•Ep 13•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 12: Buildings & Cities with David Mead

In 2008, a major landmark was passed as for the first time in history the majority of humanity lived in urban areas. Rapid urbanisation is a major story of the twenty-first century so that by some estimates two thirds of humanity will live in urban areas by 2060, effectively representing a doubling of the global...

Apr 18, 2019•43 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 11: Behaviour change with Brett Jenks of Rare

When we think about the magnitude of global emissions and the scale of the decarbonisation challenge, it is easy to feel that our individual actions are inconsequential. In this special episode of the Drawdown Agenda, we talk to the President and CEO of the conservation organisation Rare Brett Jenks, to look at the role of...

Feb 16, 2019•49 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 10: Finance with Kevin Bayuk

One of the special things about Drawdown’s ranked solutions is that they are practically and financially viable. In this interview with Drawdown Senior Fellow in finance modelling Kevin Bayuk we get into the nuts and bolts of the financial modelling underpinning the research. Kevin reminds us that financial viability was a key stipulation for the...

Jan 14, 2019•41 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 9: Materials with David Allaway

Often overlooked in climate agreements, materials are an untapped resource when it comes to reducing emissions. In this rich and varied interview we are joined by Drawdown Advisor David Allaway to look at how we can better use materials through reducing resource use, cleaner production and better management and disposal. Materials are integral to the...

Dec 17, 2018•58 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 8: Marine Permaculture with Brian Von Herzen

With over half of CO2 recaptured from the atmosphere going into the world’s oceans, they are by far the world’s largest carbon sink. Regenerating the oceans both for the benefit of the climate and the millions of people who rely on them for their livelihoods is therefore essential. In this episode, we are joined by...

Nov 16, 2018•38 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 7: Land Use with Cyril Kormos and Mamta Mehra

In this episode, we are joined by Drawdown Advisor Cyril Kormos and Senior Fellow Mamta Mehra to look at Land Use, a vitally important sector that has been often overlooked in international climate agreements. One of the biggest revelations to come from Drawdown’s research was the vital contribution of land to reversing global warming, through...

Nov 06, 2018•50 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 6: Transport with Ryan Allard

In this fascinating interview, we are joined by Drawdown senior fellow and senior data modeller Ryan Allard for a comprehensive examination of the transport sector. Even though it contributes to 15 percent of anthropogenic emissions, surprisingly, transport is not included in Drawdown’s top 25 solutions, illustrating how tricky to decarbonise this sector is. As such,...

Oct 08, 2018•51 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 5: Electricity Generation with João Pedro Gouveia

Energy is at the heart of everything we do and in this interview with senior Drawdown fellow João Pedro Gouveia, we take a look at the vital role it has to play in mitigating climate change. As João points out, we are in the midst of an energy revolution driven by climate commitments as well...

Sep 23, 2018•42 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 4: Food Supply with Eric Toensmeier

In this interview, we are joined by Drawdown research fellow Eric Toensmeier to look at how we can improve the world’s food production systems. As established in the food demand interview, sustainably feeding the world’s ten billion inhabitants by 2050 requires significant changes in dietary habits to reduce pressures on land. Nonetheless, even accounting for...

Sep 01, 2018•58 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 3: Women & Girls with Alisha Graves

In this interview, we are joined by Drawdown research fellow Alisha Graves to look at how women’s empowerment impacts global warming. Although the status of women is not an issue often linked to climate, both family planning and improving girl’s access to education are two desirable solutions that have a profound impact on population and...

Aug 07, 2018•46 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 2: Food Demand with Amanda Hong and Zak Accuardi

In this interview, we are joined by experts Amanda Hong and Zak Accuardi to examine Drawdown’s two biggest solutions that allow for the greatest agency at the individual level – Reduced Food Waste and Plant Rich Diets. With studies showing that as much as one third of global food production being wasted annually, cutting back...

Jul 20, 2018•43 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast

Episode 1: Beginnings with Paul Hawken

In this introductory episode of The Drawdown Agenda podcast, Paul Hawken, the co-founder and former executive director of Project Drawdown , discusses the inception and mission of Drawdown– and explains the research, modelling and analysis underpinning the project. He emphasises how this project is the first of its kind, as previously many, even within the science community, had a scant understanding of the wide range of different possible solutions–and their effectiveness. In particular, Paul e...

Jun 01, 2018•59 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast