Project Drawdown

An interview with Ben-Zion Weiss PhD/Victoria Phillips, co-presenters at Transition Bondi’s Talk & Feast: Project Drawdown Workshop, Thursday October 17th

What does Drawdown mean?

Drawdown is the process of removing carbon from the atmosphere as a way of addressing  the climate emergency that we are now facing in our world.

What got you interested in this?

Ninety-seven percent or more of actively publishing climate scientists agree that Climate-warming trends over the past century are extremely likely due to human activities. In addition, most of the leading scientific organisations worldwide have issued public statements endorsing this position. See here.

As social ecologists this situation is very disturbing. We are approaching what many scientists are now calling the 6th mass extinction. See here.

According to Paul Hawken, Drawdown is the most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. It was developed by some 200 scientists, educators and environmentalists who address the major issues leading to climate warming and presents solutions in order of their effectiveness to reduce levels of Carbon in the atmosphere.

What will people experience in the Symposium?

In the symposium people will have the opportunity to learn about what the major solutions to this emergency are and how they can actively participate in the solutions. There will be video presentations, as well as times to reflect individually and in small groups to share concerns as well as to begin to consider what strategies people may want to consider to address the issues most relevant to them.

What do you hope to be the outcome of the Drawdown Symposium?

The main outcomes we would hope to achieve:

• to make people aware that there are real solutions to this emergency
• to support participants to find their way of making a difference through actions related to lifestyle and social activism
• to develop a greater understanding of the climate emergency we are facing,

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Transition Bondi aims to bring people together to share, learn and be active in creating a more sustainable community and world. As such it represents an ideal group for a Drawdown Symposium.

Both Victoria and I are trained facilitators for the Pachamama Alliance, who previously created a symposium to develop a more socially just, environmentally sustainable and spiritually connected world. They have now broadened their focus to include this Drawdown Symposium.