The Backstory:
Why we started Act Now Bay Area
“Is it possible to reverse global warming?”
Environmentalists Paul Hawken and Amanda Joy Ravenhill asked that question in 2014.
The world lacked a comprehensive, convincing path forward to address climate disruption. They gathered a team of over 200 scholars, scientists, policy-makers, business leaders, and activists worldwide to assess, map, and model the most substantive solutions. The results were published in 2017, and the book changed how we approach our future, and the necessary work to hold global warming to a survivable level.
The book of solutions:​ The 80 solutions in the book already exist and we can implement them now. They're ranked according to their potential to reduce or remove greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and the cost effectiveness of solutions. It's clear that there is no one silver bullet, and we need to use all the tools that can work here in the Bay Area.
Formerly known as Drawdown* Bay Area, Act Now Bay Area was inspired by the catalogue of solutions and the science and data developed by the Project Drawdown team led by Paul Hawken. ​
In conjunction with Governor Brown's 2018 Global Climate Action Summit, the co-founders of Act Now Bay Area and the Drawdown team convened a forum to discuss how the Bay Area could lead on educating, innovating, and implementing climate solutions right here. Attended by over fifty climate leaders from public agencies, business associations, universities, and non-profit organizations, the consensus was that leading-edge climate work is being done around the Bay: innovative technologies, ground-breaking policies and programs, and grassroots organizations that advocate for their communities.
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While there are numerous global solutions, there are specific solutions that will have the most impact and can be implemented here in the Bay Area. A collaborative network is needed to "connect the dots" and leverage the existing work being done, share best practices, resources, and tools, and engage everyone in the Bay Area to quickly implement solutions. It must be easier for anyone and everyone to have access to the information and actions that they can use in their own homes, communities, and businesses.
However, while climate concern is at an all-time high, most people still don't know much about what's being done, especially outside of their own community or organization. The question was - and is - how to reach the general public? and, given everyone's increasingly busy climate work, how to make everyone's climate job easier?
The answer became clear:
* "Drawdown" is the point in time when the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere reach their peak and begin to decline, year over year.
Act Now Bay Area is doing just that:
​We're building the network of community members and organizations, businesses large and small, and local and regional government.
We're focused on specific solutions which can be implemented here in the Bay Area that have the most impact on greenhouse gas emissions: energy, transportation, and buildings.
We're curating the information that people can use, the partners they can join, and the actions they can take - aided by the best science, innovations, and funding tools.
We continually vet ideas, seek feedback, conduct surveys, and continue to iterate based on community input, which makes this a truly collaborative effort.
We're using leading social media tools and outreach strategies to build awareness, create connections, and drive engagement.
By creating a collaborative coalition we can successfully draw down regional greenhouse gas emissions, sequester carbon in our landscapes, and restore our communities: creating a healthier, more equitable, and more resilient Bay Area now and for future generations.
