Project Drawdown

Source: Project Drawdown

Climate–Poverty Connections: Opportunities for synergistic solutions at the intersection of planetary and human well-being provides concrete evidence of how climate solutions can also be win-win opportunities for meeting development and human well-being needs while boosting prosperity for rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. 

This first-of-its-kind report produced by Drawdown Lift shows that leaders do not have to choose among human development, climate mitigation, and climate adaptation; win-win solutions are at hand. The Drawdown Lift Human Well-Being Index, introduced in this report, serves as a framework for assessing 12 health, socioeconomic, and societal dimensions of human well-being and highlighting evidence of the nexus between climate mitigation solutions and human well-being in a scientifically consistent manner.

The report summarizes the co-benefits of five groups of a subset of Project Drawdown climate solutions (28 total solutions) for advancing human well-being in rural areas of low- and middle-income countries. For example, several climate solutions related to improving agriculture and agroforestry also improve income and work because higher crop yields and improved crop resilience to climate extremes can result in higher income. Increased income can subsequently lead to better educational outcomes through more time allocated to, and funds spent on, education. Better education can further contribute to gender equality and social equity by improving economic opportunities for women and boosting women’s ability to participate in decision making.