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Reducing Black Carbon

Provided by: Project Drawdown |Published on: December 11, 2025

Articles/Websites

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Synopsis

This article from Project Drawdown is an executive summary of a more in-depth report about the reduction of black carbon emissions as a climate solution and the avenues for achieving this solution.
The article also addresses the benefits to public health when black carbon emissions are reduced, especially in rural areas and developing countries.

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Subjects: Biology, Earth and Space Sciences, Health

Authors: Yusuf Jameel, Paul C. West, Daniel Jasper

Region: Global

Languages: English

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Teaching Materials

Positives

This executive summary does an excellent job of condensing the full report, leaving out a lot of the more advanced language and making it approachable for students.
Students will benefit from learning about this climate solution, as it has the potential to provide immediate benefits.

Prerequisites

Before students read the article, teachers may want to give a brief introduction to black carbon and the activities that produce it.
Students may benefit from having background knowledge on albedo and its role in regulating incoming solar radiation.

Differentiation & Implementation

Advanced students can read the full report and analyze its findings.
After reading this executive summary or the full report, teachers can urge students to make connections to some of the Sustainable Development Goals. Teachers can highlight SDG 3, Good Health and Well-Being, and SDG 13, Climate Action.
Students can explore this other resource on clean cooking from Project Drawdown or find other solutions using their Solutions Explorer.
To highlight the role of transportation in black carbon production and show how this issue is relevant to students' daily lives, teachers can follow this reading with this environmental justice lesson that connects diesel school buses to negative health impacts for students.

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About the Partner Provider

Project Drawdown

Project Drawdown is a nonprofit organization that seeks to help the world reach “drawdown”—the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere stop climbing and start to steadily decline. Cities, universities, corporations, philanthropies, policymakers, communities, educators, activists, and more turn to Project Drawdown as they look to advance effective climate action. Project Drawdown resources for educators include the database of Drawdown Solutions, educational video series Climate Solutions 101, the Drawdown Stories initiative, and more.

Related Teaching Resources

All resources can be used for your educational purposes with proper attribution to the content provider.