The confluence of
economic,
environmental
and health challenges society faces today feels overwhelming — especially since
most of our efforts to address them have been myopic and piecemeal, at best.
Recognizing the inextricability of climate change and other existential threats,
Project Drawdown has launched a new initiative to
identify and advance technologies and practices that not only reduce the threat
of climate change, but enhance human wellbeing and protect ecosystems at the
same time.
Supported by initial funding from Margaret A. Cargill
Philanthropies and the Doris Duke
Foundation, Drawdown Nexus aims to dramatically
expand humanity’s capacity to advance sustainable development, protect
biodiversity and mitigate climate change simultaneously.
“Solving climate change is essential to building a future we and our children
can live with,” says Project Drawdown executive director Jonathan
Foley. “But without
simultaneously addressing biodiversity
loss
and human wellbeing, what kind of a future are we really saving? Drawdown Nexus
will identify and coalesce action around much-needed ‘win-win-win’ opportunities
to benefit people and our planet in multiple ways at the same time.”
Drawdown Nexus builds upon prior collaborations with universities, Natural
Capital Insights and the embattled USAID. It aligns with a
number of science assessments from IPBES and
others that increasingly illustrate the imperative of tackling our most
pressing, interrelated
challenges
— climate change, biodiversity loss and threats to human
wellbeing
— namely, water and food insecurity, and health risks such as infectious
disease
— together. But Drawdown
says
Nexus will build on these efforts by collaborating across levels of influence,
from local to global, to create and disseminate tools for identifying and
prioritizing the full spectrum of possible solutions.
“Improving people’s
lives,
protecting nature and stopping climate change are interwoven challenges.
Solutions need to be interwoven, too,” says senior scientist Paul
West, who is leading the Drawdown
Nexus initiative. “A wide range of solutions — such as reducing food loss and
waste, stopping deforestation and increasing access to affordable clean energy —
can all provide triple wins. In many places, realizing these triple wins
requires understanding which climate and biodiversity solutions — and where —
can meet people’s needs quickly. We aim to develop tools to help drive action
and accelerate progress to meet all three challenges.”
In a post on the launch of Drawdown Nexus, West — along with Drawdown scientist
Yusuf Jameel and policy advisor
Dan Jasper —
elaborate:
“Despite the interconnected nature of these challenges, we have continued to
address them in silos with separate policies, institutions and frameworks
designed to tackle each one individually. But thinking, planning and acting in
silos has gotten us where we are today.
“Thinking outside of silos reveals new approaches. Building back better often
requires building back differently — focusing on solutions at the nexus of
people, nature and climate. New infrastructure, building
materials
and community
design
can be more energy efficient and better equipped to handle and evacuate from
disasters.
Floodplain forests soak up flood waters. Mangroves can decrease the power of
storm surges and adapt to rising sea levels. Natural habitats on steep hillsides
can prevent mudslides.
“Moreover, these natural systems pull carbon dioxide from the
air and
store it in plants, animals and soils.
Concrete,
metal
and earthen structures can reduce risks for people but have little benefit for
nature or stopping climate change. They can even put communities at greater risk
if the barriers fail and people have built up more in the high-risk areas. In
contrast, solutions at the nexus of people, nature and climate can help build
short- and long-term resilience for communities.”
An August 2024 study from Oregon State University highlighted another
example, finding that a holistic approach to conservation of coastal areas that
host surf
breaks
simultaneously strengthens protection of climate-critical carbon stocks while
boosting socio-economic health of coastal communities.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Mar 3, 2025 8am EST / 5am PST / 1pm GMT / 2pm CET