One Earth Climate Solutions Taxonomy

Panels made of semiconducting materials capable of capturing photons from the sun and turning them into an electric current.

Quick Fact

Solar PV is becoming the lowest-cost option for new electricity generation in most of the world, leading to a record increase of 179 TWh (up 22%) in 2021.

Power plants that generate electricity by using mirrors to concentrate sunlight on a central receiver which converts the light into heat to create electricity with a heat engine.

Quick Fact

Concentrated Solar can generate electricity even when the sun is not shining by storing solar heat that can be used later in the day.

Capturing thermal energy within the Earth's crust—most often near volcanoes, geysers, and hot springs—and converting the hot steam into electrical power.

Quick Fact

Iceland generates nearly 100% of its electricity from geothermal power due to its abundant volcanic resources along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

Modern-day windmills that turn the power of the wind into electricity; they are relatively cheap to build and come in many shapes and sizes, but standard utility-scale turbines exceed 100 kilowatts in size.

Wind turbines placed over the sea that are usually bigger and more efficient than their onshore relatives because they utilize the higher, more consistent wind speeds over the ocean.

Renewable energy is harnessed from the up and down motion of the waves that work by pumping turbines back and forth instead of spinning them.

Smaller-scale dam projects that generate electricity through a controlled flow of water but use less concrete allow fish to migrate and produce significantly less methane emissions.

Burning cellulosic waste products such as wood scraps and crop residue to run a heat engine and produce electricity. We do not consider burning trees for power to be in any way sustainable.

Hydrogen produced using renewable energy to electrolyze water (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen). The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in a fuel cell to create renewable power.

Collecting the thermal energy from the sun, most often in a sealed flat plate with copper pipes, used for residential, commercial, or industrial space heating or hot water.

Combusting biomass in the form of woodchips or agricultural residues, as well as other waste materials, to generate renewable heat without reducing the total extent of forests or croplands.

Capturing and distributing the heat within the Earth, which can be accomplished at the district level with larger heat distribution plants or on an individual residential level that uses the steady temperature below the surface as a heat reservoir.

Turning hydrogen produced using renewable energy into heat by running it through a fuel cell; useful for meeting fluctuating demands in heat due to its on-demand nature.

Utility-scale system for distributing renewable heat generated in a centralized location through a system of insulated pipes for residential and commercial heating requirements such as space heating and water heating.

Heat pumps, induction ovens, and other devices that convert renewable electricity into heat through resistance, radiation, or separating hot from cool air. 

Hydrogen that is produced using renewable energy to electrolyze water (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen). The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in a fuel cell to create renewable power.

Fuels that are similar to petroleum (i.e. they are combusted) but are created using renewable power and abundant inputs (e.g. hydrogen and carbon monoxide); they can be used in existing jets and ships without significantly modifying their engines.

Fuels made from engineered algae that are grown in a sustainable way. We do not consider fuels made from crops (e.g. soy, corn) to be sustainable as they compete for critical agricultural land used in food production.

Trains, trams, cars, buses, and bikes that run on renewable electricity by either a direct connection to the grid or through battery storage.

Hydrogen that is produced using renewable energy to electrolyze water (splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen). The resulting hydrogen can be stored and used on demand in a fuel cell to create renewable power.

Any built structure -- homes, commercial buildings, government facilities, roads & bridges, factories -- where engineering is used to reduce the materials needed for construction and the buildings are designed to require less energy for HVAC and lighting.

Measures that reduce dependence on low-efficiency travel like automobiles and airplanes. This includes infrastructure investments in public rail, busing, bicycles, and PEVs.

Measures that reduce "line loss" — i.e., the loss of power between the point of production and the point of consumption. These measures can include smart grids, smart meters, demand response, integrated grid storage, and load shedding. 

Innovations and upgrades that reduce the energy intensity and direct emissions from manufacturing chemicals, electrical goods, physical materials, cement, and others.

Any built structure -- homes, commercial buildings, government facilities, roads & bridges, factories -- where engineering is used to reduce the materials needed for construction and the buildings are designed to require less energy for HVAC and lighting.

Land areas already protected or recognized by governments. This includes all IUCN protected area classes as well as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) as defined by WCMC.

Quick Fact

Land Protected Areas total 15% of the planet’s land and make up Layer 1 of the Global Safety Net.

Unprotected areas that need to be protected immediately due to the presence of rare or range-restricted plant and animal species. 

Quick Fact

Species Rarity Sites total 2.3% of the planet’s land and make up Layer 2 of the Global Safety Net.

Unprotected land areas with groupings of plants and animals that are vital to maintaining our ecosystems.

Quick Fact

High biodiversity areas total 6.0% of the planet’s land and make up Layer 3 of the Global Safety Net.

Unprotected large mammal landscapes where seasonal groupings of animals occur, in particular megafauna. 

Quick Fact

Large mammal landscapes, like the Pantanal wetlands in Western Brazil, home to the world’s largest jaguars, total 6.3% of the planet’s land and make up Layer 4 of the Global Safety Net.

Unprotected areas with a large extent of intact wilderness including continuous forests, shrublands, and grasslands that aren't identified in previous layers of the Global Safety Net. 

Quick Fact

Intact Wilderness totals 16% of the planet's land and makes up Layer 5 of the Global Safety Net.

Other unprotected land areas that provide additional carbon absorption and storage (storing > 50 tC per hectare), helping to stabilize our global climate system.

Quick Fact

Climate Stabilization Areas totals 4.7% of the planet's lands and makes up Layer 6 of the Global Safety Net.

Land currently occupied or managed by Indigenous People or Local Communities (IPLCs) that are legally recognized by governments as belonging to those communities.

Quick Fact

Although Indigenous Peoples comprise less than 5% of the world population, they protect 80% of the Earth's biodiversity.

Supporting the reintroduction of wildlife back into urban or suburban areas. This includes tree planting, micro forests, pollinator meadows, river restoration, etc.

Land areas already protected or recognized by governments. This includes all IUCN protected area classes as well as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs) as defined by WCMC.

Quick Fact

Land Protected Areas total 15% of the planet’s land and make up Layer 1 of the Global Safety Net.

Marine areas already protected or recognized by governments. This includes all IUCN protected area classes as well as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs).

Quick Fact

More than 5,000 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been established throughout the world, covering 0.8% of the ocean.

Unprotected marine areas with groupings of plants and animals that are vital to maintaining marine ecosystems.

Marine areas with no-take seasons or other measures that maintain fish populations so they can properly reproduce. This includes measures to reduce fishing of wildlife, like sustainable fish farming.

Adding alkalizing substances to seawater enhances the ocean's natural carbon sink without harming any plant or animal populations. This helps to maintain the conditions needed to keep corals alive by reducing pollution-caused acidity of the oceans using tools like olivine sand, which is naturally occurring.

Quick Fact

Some methods of alkalinization use electrochemical weathering, or using fuel cells to enhance alkalinity. This produces hydrogen, which could be used as an alternative energy source.

Marine areas already protected or recognized by governments. This includes all IUCN protected area classes as well as Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECMs).

Restoring a forest that has been previously logged or degraded through natural regeneration. This can be unassisted or assisted, the latter of which involves periodic clearing of invasive species if present.

Restoring a forest through the process of planting native trees in areas that have been affected by man made or natural disturbances.

Quick Fact

As of 2019, science shows there are 0.9 billion hectares of forests that could be restored - storing 205 gigatonnes of carbon.

Managing forests that includes selective logging as opposed to clear cutting. It is more expensive to do but results in high-quality timber products over the longer term, reducing carbon emissions from logging and benefiting wildlife.

Restoring grassland ecosystems using a combination of management and planting of native species.

Quick Fact

Grasslands are among the largest terrestrial biomes, covering >25% of the terrestrial earth's surface.

Restoring wetlands ecosystems using a combination of management and planting of native species, covering all types of wetlands — marshes, swamps, bogs, and fens.

Quick Fact

Wetlands are critical to the Earth's biodiversity — 40% of all the world's species live and breed in these environments.

Planting or restoring native plants extending out from a coastline, including four major types of plant life—mangroves, seagrass, kelp, and sargassum.

Quick Fact

Ocean and coastal ecosystems absorbed nearly 30% of the carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere each year by fossil fuel use over the past few decades — making it important to restore these ecosystems at a broad scale.

Hybridizing or reestablishing corals in areas that have experienced bleaching or other disturbances.

Quick Fact

Coral reefs occur in less than 1% of the ocean, yet are home to nearly one-quarter of all ocean species.

Reintroducing species of wild terrestrial and marine animals that were previously driven out or exterminated from their native habitats.

Quick Fact

Rewilding just 20 large mammal species back to their historic habitats could restore ecosystems across almost one-quarter of the Earth’s land.

Restoring a forest that has been previously logged or degraded through natural regeneration. This can be unassisted or assisted, the latter of which involves periodic clearing of invasive species if present.

Areas of land that serve to connect two or more wildlife areas. These are often narrow strips of land and can include small pockets of habitat or microrefugia.

Quick Fact

Land corridors can increase movement between isolated populations, help to increase genetic diversity, and increase food availability for a variety of species.

Areas of land that act as buffers between cultivated or developed land and a protected area, Indigenous conservation area, or other wildlife habitat. 

Quick Fact

Buffer areas can help meet a number of natural resource, economic, and social objectives, including providing wildlife habitat, protecting cropland and downstream communities from flood damage, and filtering nutrients, pesticides, and animal waste from agricultural land runoff.

Areas of land running alongside a river or a portion of a river bed that enable river-dependent species to feed, mate, and migrate. Conserving these can stabilize river banks and reduces the velocity of water to support wildlife.

Quick Fact

Rivers hold less than 1% of the world's water, with the rest existing in the salty ocean and polar ice caps — making rivers incredibly important for freshwater conservation.

Areas of air and ocean that serve as migration routes for sea birds, fish, and marine mammals across the ocean.

Quick Fact

The Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR) was established in 2004 to provide for the long-term conservation of nature, restore ecosystem resilience and mitigate the damage to marine biodiversity caused by human activities.

Areas of land that serve to connect two or more wildlife areas. These are often narrow strips of land and can include small pockets of habitat or microrefugia.

Quick Fact

Buffer areas can help meet a number of natural resource, economic, and social objectives, including providing wildlife habitat, protecting cropland and downstream communities from flood damage, and filtering nutrients, pesticides, and animal waste from agricultural land runoff.

Afforestation on croplands can take many forms — from wind breaks and pocket forests to orchards and alley cropping with trees dividing strips of cropland.

Returning degraded cropland back to functioning cropland or grazing land using regenerative agriculture practices.

Quick Fact

Globally, cropland stores almost 10% of the total global soil organic carbon in the top 30 cm of soil.

Farming practices that increases the health, resilience, carbon content and productivity of soils — including cover crops, erosion control, microbial inoculants, and other non-fertilizer soil improvers.

Quick Fact

Soil carbon sequestration and the conservation of existing soil carbon stocks, given its multiple benefits including improved food production, is an important mitigation pathway to achieve the less than 2 °C global target of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Carbonised biomass obtained from sustainable sources and sequestered in soils to sustainably enhance their agricultural and environmental value under present and future management.

Quick Fact

Sustainable biochar can both sequester carbon to help mitigate climate change while also providing energy and increasing crop yields.

Fertilizer that is derived from organic sources, including organic compost, herbivore manures, vermiculture, microbial soil amendments, and domestic sewage.

Quick Fact

Organic fertilizers can improve the structure of soil over time by increasing aeration and water-holding capacity of the soil.

Planting rice with no or minimal tillage into previous crop residue to protect the soil from erosion and loss of nutrients, reducing methane emissions.

Quick Fact

Sustainable rice farming can decrease water use by 2%, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, and increase income by 10%.

Built infrastructure designed to grow crops. This can include vertical farming, advanced greenhouses, green roofs, etc.

Using AI and data modeling to determine the optimal location for various crops, increasing overall yields and crop resilience while reducing water consumption.

Using technologies like drip irrigation to turn desert areas with insufficient precipitation into viable croplands.

Farming underneath the forest canopy or multi-story cropping on farmland that combines trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants.

Quick Fact

Forests containing multiple tree species could store at least twice as much carbon as the average monoculture plantation. A recent study also concluded that each native tree species introduced into a plantation could increase carbon stocks by 6% (per additional species).

The practice of cultivating diverse crops and integrating multiple species, which helps sequester carbon, enhance biodiversity, and improve ecosystem resilience.

Growing specialized produce that is exceptionally high in nutrients and therefore considered beneficial for human health and wellbeing, for example acai, goji, moringa, etc.

Seed saving and hybridization to restore heirloom crops and increase the diversity of plant types available to farmers. This prioritizes flavor and nutritional content over visual appearance, a shift that occurred with industrialization.

Family or community farming on less than five acres that is an essential solution to both food security and climate change, allowing for micro-management of a diversity of crops adapted to a specific region and has a much lower carbon footprint than industrial agriculture.

Afforestation on croplands can take many forms — from wind breaks and pocket forests to orchards and alley cropping with trees dividing strips of cropland.

Integration of trees in landscapes dedicated primarily to grazing livestock. This can improve soil health, increase biodiversity, and help store carbon in the soil.

Subsistence agricultural practice that involves raising domestic animals in natural grassland environments  using herd mobility, often in dryland areas and reliant on maintaining traditional corridors that allow for the freedom to roam.

Raising herbivores like cattle, bison, and sheep on agricultural areas that are rotated periodically, allowing the remainder of the pasture to “rest" so that plants can regrow and mimicking the natural conditions that allowed both grasslands and large herbivores to thrive historically.

Feeding livestock a healthy diet that provides essential macronutrients such as protein, vitamins and minerals, and adequate fibre, increasing the health of animals, reducing dependence on antibiotics, and also reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation.

A diet based on the EAT Lancet commission, which—if everyone followed it—would allow us to feed 10 billion people on our current agricultural footprint by significantly reducing the intake of red meat to 1 serving per week and increasing the intake of vegetables while cutting food waste in half. 

A new sector of the food industry that seeks to replace red meat with plant-based protein from pulses (legume crops), seaweed, moringa, or other high-protein sources. Not all plant proteins are good — serious concerns have been raised about the use of pesticides and other chemicals, novel GMOs, and the clearing of forests to produce some of these novel alternative proteins.

Cold storage solutions including technology like solar-powered refrigerators that can greatly reduce crop loss due to lack of accessible and adequate cold storage that keeps produce fresh before it is sold or taken to market.

Local farmers can grow crops that are better adapted to specific regions vs. industrial crops that are shipped from a long distance. This can amplify a local economy, improve nutrition and plant diversity, and potentially lower the crop's carbon footprint.

Produce that is cosmetically imperfect but fresh and full of nutrition is often thrown out by commercial retailers, ending up in landfills. A movement to capture this perfectly good wasted produce is growing.

At least 50 million square miles in the US are covered in grass turf, requiring an enormous amount of water, chemicals, and petroleum fuel. Converting just a portion of this land to organic gardens would increase food security and nutrition, conserve water, and reduce carbon emissions.

Recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer and soil amendment to enrich soil, water retention, and carbon sequestration.

Taking the time to plan a balanced diet saves consumers money, boost health, and is a major strategy to reduce food waste.

Sourcing fiber stock used to make textiles from regenerative and organic agriculture practices that build soil health, increase biodiversity, protect water resources, and sequester carbon.

Sustainably dying and processing fiber stock to make textile materials using less energy and harmful chemicals than conventional methods.

Moving to "slow fashion" and encouraging second hand use of apparel, or recycling fibers for other industrial uses are all ways to reduce impacts of the fashion industry.

Gender equity is the inclusion and empowerment of women and girls in any climate solution pathway.

The fair and equal distribution of resources and opportunities within a society, and it is a crucial component of finding solutions to the climate crisis.

Empowering the next generation of leaders with the knowledge and skills to solve the climate crisis.

A UN term used to focus on uplifting typically poor and often rural populations, providing new opportunities for gainful employment that helps the environment rather than harms it.

The capacity of upstream sources, underground aquifers, desalination, and other technologies to ensure sufficient freshwater for agriculture and human uses.

Biodiversity, or biological diversity, is the variability of living things that makes up life on Earth—from plants and animals to fungi and bacteria— and the ecosystems that house them.

Theory of change related to the financing of climate solutions either by public (government) funding or private capital sources (investors).

Theory of change focusing on shifting public policy at the national or subnational level as well as governance agreements at the multilaterial level (UN, G20, etc) to advance climate solutions.

Theory of change focusing on scientific research and technological innovation to support decision makers (in governments, companies, and foundations) in prioritizing the best climate solutions. 

Theory of change focusing on bringing lawsuits against governments or private companies for failing to take action on climate change or environmental degradation, or other legal approaches.

Theory of change focusing on empowering communities to act in a variety of ways—from building youth movements, to civic engagement and voting rights, to citizen-led community projects to advance climate solutions.

Theory of change that focuses on equipping individuals with knowledge and awareness as a crucial step in affecting systemic change. Tackling the climate crisis requires widespread understanding, engagement, and action.