Climate change is a global challenge that necessitates local action. 

While national goals are being set and official commitments have been made to keep temperature rise to a maximum of 1.5 degrees in accordance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Georgia is anticipated to be among the states most adversely affected by climate change. At the same time, Georgia has a thriving business community (8th in the U.S. in the number of Fortune 500 headquartered companies, leading startup metro areas such as Atlanta, etc.) that is embracing the competitive opportunities associated with a transition to a low carbon economy. For example, at least 38 large companies in Georgia have set net zero emissions goals (or similar targets), and many more have established meaningful objectives. Increasing pressure from customers, NGOs, employees, and investors is accelerating this trend.  

Given these circumstances, the Ray C. Anderson Foundation funded research conducted by Georgia Tech, the University of Georgia, Georgia State University, and Emory University to identify the highest impact carbon mitigation solutions for Georgia while also considering factors such as economic competitiveness, equity, and public health. The research resulted in 20 solutions across five categories: electricity generation, transportation, buildings and materials, food and agriculture, and land sinks.

While the research continues, a growing number of corporate partners expressed interest in launching and facilitating the Drawdown Georgia Business Compact to focus on leveraging the collective impact of the Georgia business community to advance and scale these and other solutions.