{"640333":{"#nid":"640333","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Statewide Climate Solutions Powered by Georgia Tech Research Debut","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EBy Michael Pearson\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDrawdown Georgia, the statewide effort powered by research from the Georgia Institute of Technology and other universities to find cost-effective ways to drastically cut the state\u0026rsquo;s carbon footprint, publicly rolls out its top 20 solutions this week.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ELed by noted energy and climate policy expert Marilyn Brown, Regents and Brook Byers Professor of Sustainable Systems in the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/spp.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ESchool of Public Policy\u003C\/a\u003E, the cross-campus research team identified solutions that could, based on existing science, cut the state\u0026rsquo;s CO\u003Csub\u003E2\u003C\/sub\u003E emissions by one-third by 2030.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;Our work shows Georgia already has the necessary tools to reduce its carbon emissions by a third in the next ten years, and do it in a way that does not harm the economy,\u0026rdquo; Brown said. \u0026ldquo;These proposals actually can pay for themselves and create a healthier, more prosperous state.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;In fact, adopting these goals can put Georgia on a path to sustainably meeting the climate goals presented by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Paris Accord,\u0026rdquo; she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe findings, and the science behind them, will be the subject of a \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.calendar.gatech.edu\/event\/640202\u0022\u003Ewebinar\u003C\/a\u003E on Wednesday hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology. The event is free and open to the campus community.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EBrown worked for more than a year alongside faculty members across Georgia Tech, as well as Emory University, the University of Georgia, and Georgia State University to research and develop 20 recommendations in five high-impact areas: electricity, buildings and materials, food and agriculture, transportation, and the land.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETheir proposals include increasing solar and electric vehicle capacity, retrofitting buildings to be more energy-efficient, reducing food waste, and growing more forests to soak up carbon emissions.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team also integrated considerations\u0026nbsp;such as\u0026nbsp;equity, economic growth, and public health.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;One of the key co-benefits of these solutions is in air quality improvements that, for example, will help to reduce the chance that our kids will have allergies and asthma,\u0026quot; said\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/directory\/faculty\/toktay\/index.html\u0022\u003EBeril Toktay\u003C\/a\u003E,\u0026nbsp;Brady Family Chair in Management and professor in the\u0026nbsp;Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business in\u0026nbsp;the Scheller College of Business.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.scheller.gatech.edu\/directory\/faculty\/oxman\/index.html\u0022\u003EMichael Oxman\u003C\/a\u003E, a co-lead of the beyond carbon working group, said the team designed solutions that will be good for all Georgians.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026quot;We want to ensure that these solutions create benefits for all but perhaps especially for under-resourced populations that are most vulnerable to climate change impacts,\u0026quot; said Oxman, who is managing director of the\u0026nbsp;Ray C. Anderson Center and professor of the practice in the Scheller College of Business.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EEach proposal had to meet four criteria. It had to be technologically and market ready for Georgia. The state had to have sufficient local experience and data to implement them. They had to remove at least one megaton of carbon dioxide equivalent from the atmosphere per year. Finally,\u0026nbsp; they had to be cost-effective.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMany of the proposals will pay for themselves, according to the team\u0026rsquo;s research. Such recommendations include reducing food waste, boosting rooftop solar, and cogeneration \u0026ndash; the simultaneous generation of electricity and thermal energy for heating or cooling.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe research team will further refine the 20 solutions to a list of five high-priority action items. Those will be featured in a statewide campaign by Drawdown Georgia to encourage businesses, private sector groups, and residents to work together to put the state on the path to a zero-emissions economy by 2040.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMeanwhile, the Georgia Tech team\u0026rsquo;s work is not done. Brown already has begun planning a dashboard that will help each of Georgia\u0026rsquo;s 159 counties, and their residents, to track progress on key parameters. An early version of the dashboard could be available by next summer, Brown said.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso, the Scheller College of Business will take the lead in corporate engagement\u0026nbsp;efforts to bring business on board to support the goals.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThis week\u0026rsquo;s rollout features a series of events, from an opening night celebration on Saturday to a series of civic dinners. The campaign plans to engage Georgia residents in citizen science and action on climate change.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDrawdown Georgia is based on \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/drawdown.org\/\u0022\u003EProject Drawdown\u003C\/a\u003E, founded by environmentalist and author Paul Hawken. That project seeks to reach \u0026ldquo;drawdown,\u0026rdquo; the point at which levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere start to decline, as quickly, safely, and equitably as possible.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe Georgia effort is the first in the country to adopt the Project Drawdown model. The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.raycandersonfoundation.org\/\u0022\u003ERay C. Anderson Foundation\u003C\/a\u003E is funding the project, including the research at Georgia Tech and other universities.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to Brown, other Georgia Tech researchers involved in the work include \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/matisoff\u0022\u003EDaniel Matisoff\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;from the School of Public Policy,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/eas.gatech.edu\/people\/cobb-dr-kim\u0022\u003EKim Cobb\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/people\/Faculty\/1331\/overview\u0022\u003EMike Rodgers\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.energy.gatech.edu\/people\/richard-simmons\u0022\u003ERich Simmons\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in Mechanical Engineering and the Strategic Energy Institute, and\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/econ.gatech.edu\/people\/person\/laura-taylor\u0022\u003ELaura Taylor\u003C\/a\u003E, chair and professor in the School of Economics.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ETo view the full list of solutions, visit the Drawdown Georgia website at\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.drawdownga.org\/\u0022\u003Ehttps:\/\/www.drawdownga.org\/\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EDrawdown Georgia and its research team, led by the School of Public Policy\u0026#39;s Marilyn Brown, rolls out its list of 20 climate solutions this week.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Drawdown Georgia and its research team, led by the School of Public Policy\u0027s Marilyn Brown, rolls out its list of 20 climate solutions this week.\u00a0"}],"uid":"34600","created_gmt":"2020-10-19 15:38:24","changed_gmt":"2020-10-20 14:13:07","author":"mpearson34","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2020-10-19T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2020-10-19T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"640332":{"id":"640332","type":"image","title":"Drawdown Georgia","body":null,"created":"1603121362","gmt_created":"2020-10-19 15:29:22","changed":"1603121362","gmt_changed":"2020-10-19 15:29:22","alt":"","file":{"fid":"243393","name":"drawdown graphic  sq.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/drawdown%20graphic%20%20sq.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/drawdown%20graphic%20%20sq.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":302872,"path_740":"http:\/\/www.tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/drawdown%20graphic%20%20sq.jpg?itok=swK4S_Ee"}}},"media_ids":["640332"],"groups":[{"id":"1281","name":"Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts"},{"id":"1289","name":"School of Public Policy"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"185254","name":"Drawdown Georgia"},{"id":"831","name":"climate change"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71911","name":"Earth and Environment"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EMichael Pearson\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nmichael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["michael.pearson@iac.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}