Climate Solutions At Work

The document argues that traditional corporate climate leadership, focused on "net zero" and offsets, is insufficient. It proposes a "drawdown-aligned" framework where employees use their internal influence to transform business models, supply chains, and financial investments. Key recommendations include adopting "Emissions 360" accounting, divesting from fossil fuels, aligning political lobbying with the Paris Agreement, and prioritizing long-term planetary health over quarterly profits.

• The guide contends that "net zero" targets are often an insufficient proxy for climate action because they frequently prioritize offsetting emissions over reducing them and lack the interim targets and accountability needed for immediate atmospheric GHG reductions.
• A drawdown-aligned company should adopt an "Emissions 360" perspective, accounting for the entirety of its emissions profile, including past, present, and future impacts from direct operations, suppliers, employees, and customers.
• Supply chain emissions (Scope 3) are typically the largest part of a company's carbon footprint, averaging over 80 percent, meaning companies only have direct control over approximately 17 percent of their emissions.
• The document advises against relying on carbon removal technologies that are not yet scalable, suggesting they be used only as a last resort for unavoidable emissions after all other reduction efforts are exhausted.
• Corporate financial alignment requires divesting from fossil fuels and pressuring banks, asset managers, and insurance companies to align their portfolios with the Paris Agreement and stop underwriting carbon-intensive projects.
• There is a significant gap between corporate climate claims and political activity; for example, some large U.S. corporate contributors gave nearly double the amount to climate obstructionists as they did to climate-friendly members of Congress in the 2020 cycle.
• The guide emphasizes that climate action must be embedded into every job role and that corporate boards must be "climate-competent" to effectively oversee the transition away from extractive activities.
• True business transformation requires shifting from a focus on short-term quarterly returns to long-term thinking that prioritizes planetary health, social value creation, and intersectional justice.

APA

Project Drawdown (2021). Climate Solutions At Work. https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/210920_Drawdown_AtWork_06.pdf

Chicago

Project Drawdown. Climate Solutions At Work. 2021. https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/210920_Drawdown_AtWork_06.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Project Drawdown |title=Climate Solutions At Work |date=September 2021 |url=https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/210920_Drawdown_AtWork_06.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{projectdrawdown2021climate, author = {{Project Drawdown}}, title = {{Climate Solutions At Work}}, institution = {Project Drawdown}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://drawdown.org/sites/default/files/210920_Drawdown_AtWork_06.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }