Today, the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) announced that the distinguished team of researchers whose work formed the basis for the Drawdown Georgia climate solutions road map to 2030 and beyond was published by the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal (PNAS). Researchers at Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Emory University, and Georgia State University conducted the study, which the Ray C. Anderson Foundation funded.

The paper marks the first time the scientific team behind the Drawdown Georgia framework has published a combined analysis of the potential impact of the recommendations. The team’s solutions include proposals for installing solar farms, adopting electric vehicles, retrofitting buildings, implementing nature-based forestry solutions, and reducing food waste, among many others.

John Lanier, a founder of Drawdown Georgia and executive director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, congratulated the research team saying, “Drawdown Georgia is the first state-centered effort to crowdsolve for climate, and we have created a localized solutions road map that was inspired by the global, science-based map provided by Project Drawdown. We were only able to localize the Drawdown solutions for Georgia because of the expert work of the research team, who identified the 20 high-impact solutions that are best suited to Georgia’s unique natural, economic, and social resources. With this publication, it is clear that their research is truly best-in-class.”

John went on to say, “Importantly, the team helped us prioritize solutions that, when scaled, will also advance equity, public health, our natural environment, and economic opportunities in Georgia. Those Beyond Carbon co-benefits have helped bring a diverse coalition of individuals and partners to our effort, forming an unprecedented basis for Georgia’s leadership in climate solutions.”

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About Drawdown Georgia

Informed by Project Drawdown, the world’s leading resource for climate solutions, Drawdown Georgia is the first state-centered effort to crowdsolve for climate change. The goal is to catalyze and scale 20 high impact solutions so Georgia can do its part to advance Drawdown -- that point in the future when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline.

The Drawdown Georgia roadmap was vetted by an expert team of Georgia-based academics, climate scientists, and researchers led by Georgia Institute of Technology, in partnership with Emory University, Georgia State University and the University of Georgia. Drawdown Georgia estimates that the state's current carbon footprint is 125 megatons, with the potential to cut Georgia's carbon impact by about 35% in ten years, to 79 megatons.

The solutions are based on five focus areas with the best potential to create the most change in Georgia: Electricity, Transportation, Buildings & Materials, Food & Agriculture, and Land Sinks. Currently funded by the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, Drawdown Georgia is bringing climate solutions home. Visit our home page.