Climate Solutions 101
If you are looking for a powerful, easy to understand lesson on potential solutions to the climate change challenges we are facing then I would certainly try out this short series of videos from the good people of Project Drawdown.
Project Drawdown has been on my radar for a couple of years and is my go to place when I’m thinking about the big solutions we need if, globally, we are going to change the current climate change trajectory. It’s also a good place to go when my mindset about the planet is not in a helpful place, for example when everything feels hopeless and I feel helpless.
Climate Solutions 101 is a series of six educational videos, called units, released by Project Drawdown in 2021. Each video is 10-20 minutes long and does a really good job (in my view) in explaining the science and the solutions in a way which is very accessible without being dumbed down. The units are:
Setting the Stage
Stopping Climate Change
Reducing Sources
Supporting Sinks and Improving Society
Putting It all Together
Making it Happen
There is an obvious and natural flow to the units from 1-6, and it’s less than two hours to watch the lot. However once you get closer to the material, and Project Drawdown in general, you’ll probably find it helpful to dip into the specific unit that will help you at that moment. For example, if you are going to chat with someone who denies there is a problem with the climate try watching unit 1 first, or if you need some encouragement to increase your own contribution go to unit 6
The videos are narrated by Jonathon Foley who provides a clear, rational voice. The material is basically him giving a presentation. The content is supported by very engaging high quality imagery, including photographs, moving images and graphs. One of the things I like is the mixture of passion and calmness Foley brings. The call to action is energised but without any drama. It suggests a mindset of acceptance of the status quo couple with a wholehearted, compassionate determination to do something about it. This is the sort of mindset I think is going to be helpful as we move forward.