Drawdown by Blinkist is a comprehensive look at the science and potential solutions for reversing global warming. The book covers topics such as renewable energy, land conservation and better agricultural practices. Some key learnings from the book for UX designers include:
• Recognizing the need for a holistic approach to tackling global climate change.
• Designing products and services that promote green energy, land conservation and efficient agricultural practices.
• Exploring how the technologies and products we design contribute to global warming.
As a UX designer, the book is important to read to gain a better understanding of the global implications of the products and services we design. Interesting follow-up books include Reinventing Fire by Amory B. Lovins and Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming by Paul Hawken.
🎀 Highlights
If you care about your home planet at all, there’s good reason to be depressed and frightened right now.
From tried-and-tested technologies like renewable energy to less intuitive approaches such as strengthening the rights of indigenous people,
Humboldt was one of the first scientists to acknowledge the negative effects humans could have on their environment.
Humboldt was one of the first scientists to acknowledge the negative effects humans could have on their environment. He prophetically identified deforestation and the “great masses of steam and gas” released during industrial processes as two major environmental threats.
The consequences of climate change include wildfires, droughts and sea level rise, which in turn will lead to violent conflicts and mass migration.
Newer strategies include e-cars, ocean farming and carbon air capture. Almost all of these technologies have additional benefits: they save money, create jobs, prevent pollution and
Newer strategies include e-cars, ocean farming and carbon air capture. Almost all of these technologies have additional benefits: they save money, create jobs, prevent pollution and improve people’s health.
1.1 billion people worldwide that are not connected to a centralized power grid.
Buddha, Confucius and Leonardo da Vinci have in common? They were all proponents of a plant-based diet.
Modern industrial agriculture is based on cultivating a single crop every year, until the soil becomes saline and unworkable. What’s worse is that soil degraded by such farming rapidly releases its carbon content
sustainable techniques such as agroforestry embrace complex plant communities that enrich the soil rather than deplete
let’s consider silvopasture, an ancient agroforestry system practiced in Spain and Portugal
do the trees provide shade for the animals, but they also sequester
Retailers in high-income countries are allowed to reject foods based on minor bumps and bruises, supermarkets throw out food that doesn’t sell, and best-before dates are so poorly regulated that they often confuse consumers.
“Smart” electrochromic glass changes its color according to the time of the day, saving on heating and lighting.
Wall and ceiling insulation made from fiberglass or even old newspapers can prevent heat loss in winter and overheating in summer, reducing the need for heating and air conditioning.
In the Netherlands, one of the most bike-friendly countries in the world, 27 percent of local trips are made by bike. Globally, if this statistic could rise to just 7.5 percent by 2050, carbon emissions could be reduced by 2.31 gigatons.
fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
localized grids can prevent energy losses and overproduction. Copenhagen, for example, uses a localized heating system, fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
Copenhagen, for example, uses a localized heating system, fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
Unfortunately, the cars, buses and planes we rely on to do so all use traditional combustion engines that burn fossil fuels – lots of them. The ships and trucks that transport our food and products
Unfortunately, the cars, buses and planes we rely on to do so all use traditional combustion engines that burn fossil fuels – lots of them. The ships and trucks that transport our food and products aren’t much greener.
planes account for 2.5% of global carbon emissions, a number that’s bound to grow as air travel becomes increasingly popular around the world.
Indigenous people, who are among the most affected by climate change and the least responsible for it, could play an important role in protecting these ecosystems. Their traditional practices of land management, agroforestry and pastoralism are a model for feeding off nature without depleting it. Setting up conservation agreements, granting land ownership and returning native lands to indigenous communities will not only ensure their livelihood but that of the land too.
If you care about your home planet at all, there’s good reason to be depressed and frightened right now.
From tried-and-tested technologies like renewable energy to less intuitive approaches such as strengthening the rights of indigenous people,
Humboldt was one of the first scientists to acknowledge the negative effects humans could have on their environment.
Humboldt was one of the first scientists to acknowledge the negative effects humans could have on their environment. He prophetically identified deforestation and the “great masses of steam and gas” released during industrial processes as two major environmental threats.
The consequences of climate change include wildfires, droughts and sea level rise, which in turn will lead to violent conflicts and mass migration.
Newer strategies include e-cars, ocean farming and carbon air capture. Almost all of these technologies have additional benefits: they save money, create jobs, prevent pollution and
Newer strategies include e-cars, ocean farming and carbon air capture. Almost all of these technologies have additional benefits: they save money, create jobs, prevent pollution and improve people’s health.
1.1 billion people worldwide that are not connected to a centralized power grid.
Buddha, Confucius and Leonardo da Vinci have in common? They were all proponents of a plant-based diet.
Modern industrial agriculture is based on cultivating a single crop every year, until the soil becomes saline and unworkable. What’s worse is that soil degraded by such farming rapidly releases its carbon content
sustainable techniques such as agroforestry embrace complex plant communities that enrich the soil rather than deplete
let’s consider silvopasture, an ancient agroforestry system practiced in Spain and Portugal
do the trees provide shade for the animals, but they also sequester
Retailers in high-income countries are allowed to reject foods based on minor bumps and bruises, supermarkets throw out food that doesn’t sell, and best-before dates are so poorly regulated that they often confuse consumers.
“Smart” electrochromic glass changes its color according to the time of the day, saving on heating and lighting.
Wall and ceiling insulation made from fiberglass or even old newspapers can prevent heat loss in winter and overheating in summer, reducing the need for heating and air conditioning.
In the Netherlands, one of the most bike-friendly countries in the world, 27 percent of local trips are made by bike. Globally, if this statistic could rise to just 7.5 percent by 2050, carbon emissions could be reduced by 2.31 gigatons.
fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
localized grids can prevent energy losses and overproduction. Copenhagen, for example, uses a localized heating system, fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
Copenhagen, for example, uses a localized heating system, fueled with waste heat from nearby power plants,
Unfortunately, the cars, buses and planes we rely on to do so all use traditional combustion engines that burn fossil fuels – lots of them. The ships and trucks that transport our food and products
Unfortunately, the cars, buses and planes we rely on to do so all use traditional combustion engines that burn fossil fuels – lots of them. The ships and trucks that transport our food and products aren’t much greener.
planes account for 2.5% of global carbon emissions, a number that’s bound to grow as air travel becomes increasingly popular around the world.
Indigenous people, who are among the most affected by climate change and the least responsible for it, could play an important role in protecting these ecosystems. Their traditional practices of land management, agroforestry and pastoralism are a model for feeding off nature without depleting it. Setting up conservation agreements, granting land ownership and returning native lands to indigenous communities will not only ensure their livelihood but that of the land too.
