The Swiss Drawdown Plan

Temperatures in Switzerland are rising twice as rapidly as the world’s average. As the world heads towards a 3°C increase, Switzerland is already in the clutches of climate change. To avoid a climate disaster, we must lower emissions and build a climate change resilience plan. But Switzerland’s current path towards achieving the Paris Agreement relies on the purchase of foreign carbon credits.   

Can we reach local climate mitigation and climate resilience in Switzerland? The answer is yes, and today it is more important than ever. To reverse global warming we need to draw greenhouse gas emissions down from the atmosphere.   

Draw them Down

Drawdown is the point in time when the concentration of atmospheric greenhouse gases begins to decline on a year-to-year basis; the point where we begin the process of stopping further climate change and averting potentially catastrophic warming. It’s a critical turning point for life on earth, and one that we must reach as quickly, safely and equitably as possible. 

Project Drawdown was introduced in 2017 thanks to hundreds of experts and scientists who analyzed all climate solutions at a global level.  It is, simply put, the most comprehensive climate change plan ever developed. It has identified 100 solutions – 80 of which are already applicable – covering all sectors. 

What we want to do is adapt it so that it applies directly to Switzerland.

Drawdown Switzerland will provide research, information and data on how the scale-up of existing climate solutions will reverse global warming and positively impact the economy, society and environment.  

To reach Drawdown, there are three calls to action: 

1. Reduce Sources — bringing emissions to zero 

2. Support Sinks — uplifting nature’s carbon cycle 

3. Improve Society — fostering equality for all 

We will identify solutions that fit the Swiss context, taking into account resilience and the Swiss economy.   

The Swiss Drawdown Plan will engage all stakeholders in the implementation of the solutions,  improving the well-being of all people and benefiting all of nature.    

We will start with land management solutions, quantifying two of the solutions which have large potential in Switzerland – restoration of peatland and wetlands and the use of biochar as natural fertilizer, and follow with all others.   

• Agriculture, development and natural disasters have degraded many peatlands and wetlands. Restoring peatland and wetlands to health will revive carbon sequestration. 
• Biomass slowly baked in the absence of oxygen becomes biochar, retaining most of the feedstock’s carbon. It can be buried for sequestration and potentially enrich soil. 

The diverse team behind this project is made up of researchers, sustainability consultants, professors, students, practitioners and communicators. With a world-recognized track record of translating science into action plans for the benefits of the environment and communities, we will be working hand-in-hand with the same goal – to create a sustainable world for tomorrow by engaging all parties in the implementation of climate solutions in Switzerland.   

And with your support, it starts today.