Corporate social responsibility

The Amazonian ecosystems of the Madre de Dios region are considered Peru’s ‘capital of biodiversity’, due to their impressive species richness.  This project area alone provides habitat to four endangered rainforest tree species, and eleven endangered wildlife species. However deforestation within this area is increasing, threatening it’s biodiversity and releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The Madre de Dios Amazon REDD+ Project is a Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) project. It involves conducting sustainable management in a 98,932 hectare area of tropical rainforest located in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. The climate project has two main goals: to reduce the pressure from the conversion of land for agricultural and cattle ranching purposes; and to guarantee the sustainable forestry management of the two timber concessions that operate in the area.

The Madre de Dios Amazon REDD+ project will also contribute to the sustainable development of indigenous communities living in the local area, by providing alternative sources of livelihoods; increasing local employment opportunities; and offering technical training courses to young people in the community.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards.

Tropical rainforests, such as those found in the Amazon basin, have long been referred to as “the lungs of the world”. Around a third of the world’s primary tropical rainforest is situated in Brazil. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, and is home to 10% of all known terrestrial species.  However, sadly, 20% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest was lost between 1975 and 2018, largely to clear land for agriculture, oil and gas production, mining, logging, and infrastructure.

This project seeks to protect and conserve tropical forest in Acre, Brazil. The project operates through a number of schemes to support and train forest guards, educate and support the local community, assist local people in securing land tenure, and provide training to local farmers. These strategies help to limit the expansion of farmland into forest areas, as well as supporting local people to generate sustainable income from the forest – without needing to deplete it or its resources.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard.

Colombia is renowned for its richness in biodiversity; accounting for an estimated 10% of the world’s flora and faunal species. It is one of only 12 countries globally that are considered megadiverse. However the forests in this region have experienced a continued reduction in biomass, due largely to illegal logging. These forests have historically been an important source of income for local families, who periodically harvest timber when the economic need arises.

This REDD+ avoided deforestation project is based within the biologically diverse Chocó-Darién bioregion. It sets out to address the issue of deforestation and illegal logging at a local level, and to protect and restore 83,452 hectares of land.

The project will work to mitigate climate change by reducing deforestation and forest degradation. It will also contribute to biodiversity conservation. The project will also help local communities by promoting alternative, sustainable sources of revenue and by investing in social structures such as development planning, water treatment and health care.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards.

In Honduras, 1.1 million families cook with biomass on open stoves, representing around 51% of the total population. The cutting down of trees for fuel for open stoves is one of the contributing factors toward the country having one of the highest rates of deforestation in Latin America. These rudimentary cookstoves produce several greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, through the combustion of non-renewable biomass.

This small-scale project, run locally in Honduras by Envirofit, involves the distribution of 300,000 fuel-efficient cookstoves in households across the country. The project reduces the demand for biomass fuel, leading to a reduction in the rate of deforestation connected to wood consumption. The cookstoves also improve air quality within the home.

This project will generate around 42,000 verified tonnes of emissions reductions annually, saving approximately 5.1 million tonnes of wood over 5 years, and supporting 200 direct jobs. The factory which manufactures the stoves is located in Tegucigalpa and employs a 45% female staff.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Peatlands are a type of wetland and are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. These unique habitats store massive amounts of carbon. Despite covering just 3% of the Earth’s surface, they store more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. When peatlands are cleared, drained or burned, the carbon stored within them is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Indonesia contains some 36% of the world’s tropical peatlands, however they are increasingly being destroyed to make room for plantation crops including oil palm and acacia.

The Rimba Raya REDD+ project protects 64,500 hectares of lowland peat swamp forest from conversion to oil palm plantations. The project area is in Central Kalimantan province, on the Southern coast of Borneo. This area is incredibly rich in biodiversity, including being home to the endangered Bornean orangutan.

This project also has social impact, from distributing solar lanterns to 1,794 local households, to providing sustainability education to 346 local students, to the building of two fire lookout towers on the project site to ensure rapid response to potential fire risks within the project boundary.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) and the Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS). The project has also achieved certification by the Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SDVista).

The USA is the world’s largest historical emitter, responsible for around 25% of all historical emissions. The US is also a high-consuming country, with among the world’s highest per capita emissions. In 2021, 81% of the country’s primary energy came from fossil fuel production.

The Crow Lake wind power project is a wind farm located near Chamberlain, South Dakota. The project avoids emissions by displacing fossil fuel energy in the grid, and providing renewable wind power instead. The project is made up of 108 wind turbines on an area of 15,000 hectares, which generate 162 MW of renewable wind energy. It is one of only a few facilities in the United States where a portion of the project is owned by the community, including 600 local farmers and ranchers.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

The biggest share of primary energy consumption in Morocco comes from fossil fuels – with around 57% of the total coming from oil, and 33% of the total coming from coal power. In 2021, solar generation represented less than 2% of the energy mix, though the country has high potential for both solar and wind power generation.

The Ouarzazate solar power station is one of the largest concentrated solar projects in the world, making use of thousands of concave mirrors to concentrate solar energy and produce 582 MW of power. The project maintains up to 7 hours of solar energy storage which can be used to deliver power even after the sun sets.

The construction of the project provided almost 7,000 local jobs. As well as renewable energy generation, the project design incorporates co-projects which promote the creation of cooperatives, educational schemes, and skills training. The project additionally organises a mobile hospital to provide health services to the local community.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Tropical rainforests, such as those found in the Amazon basin, have long been referred to as “the lungs of the world”. Around a third of the world’s primary tropical rainforest is situated in Brazil. However, sadly, 20% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest was lost between 1975 and 2018, largely to clear land for agriculture, oil and gas production, mining, logging, and infrastructure.

The project is located in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. The region is part of the ‘deforestation arch’, known for the intense deforestation pressure locally.

As well as its core aims of protecting over 70,000 hectares of Amazon rainforest, the project plan also provides co-benefits in the local community of Perseverança Pacutinga – including technical training, women’s empowerment workshops, wildlife monitoring and more.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Rudimentary stoves, used for cooking, produce several greenhouse gases through the combustion of non-renewable biomass. These emissions are damaging to the climate, and also greatly increase levels of household air pollution which causes health conditions in the population – particularly affecting women and children. Ghana is the largest per-capita consumer of charcoal in West Africa, and charcoal is often used as biomass fuel for household cookstoves. There are alternatives such as gas stoves – but these are often too expensive to make the switch accessible to many families.

As well as the climate and health implications of these cookstoves, using large quantities of charcoal and wood as fuel cooking stoves causes deforestation and desertification when these fuel sources are collected from nearby.

Ecologi are supporting two cookstoves projects concurrently: the Toyola project in Ghana, and the 3 Rocks project in Zambia, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support local families.

Toyola – this project replaces carbon-intensive charcoal stoves with fuel-efficient insulated stoves, known as the Toyola Coalpot, across Ghana.

3 Rock – this project replaces ‘three rock’ fires in the home with cleaner stoves, which dramatically cut annual biomass usage – by up to 66%.

The Toyola cookstoves project in Ghana is verified by the Gold Standard. The 3 Rocks cookstoves project in Zambia is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Madre de Dios is the third-largest, and least densely populated, region of Peru. It is home to much of the Peruvian Amazon. The region has historically been subject to numerous conservation challenges. These include extraction of the rich natural resources in the area – including rubber, timber, and alluvial gold. In 2011, the completion of the Trans-Oceanic Highway presented further challenges to the conservation efforts, producing an uptick in illegal logging in the region, in areas nearby to the highway.

The Brazil nut tree is one of the largest and longest-lived trees found in the Amazon. Brazil nuts are notable for their rich content of vitamins and minerals, and this makes them an important and valuable non-timber forest product. Their passive harvesting provides a way to generate income from a tropical forest without destroying it. The Brazil nut concessions project supports the community to produce reliable income through this passive harvesting. This incentivises the protection of the forest and its carbon sinking capabilities, since Brazil nut trees can only be found in old-growth forests. The project has also built a new processing facility, expanding a formerly subsistence activity into a viable income source. Additionally, the community receive carbon finance income generated by the protection of the rainforest.

Incorporated within the project activity is an outreach programme to help local communities understand the benefits of keeping the rainforest intact, including the benefits to the climate and to safeguarding threatened and endangered species.

This project is verified by the the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard.

The agricultural sector is particularly important in India, with well over half of the population generating an income from agriculture. However, many agricultural processes generate methane (CH4), a potent greenhouse gas. At the same time, India’s energy needs are rising fast, with growth in electricity demand and other energy uses among the highest in the world.

This project involves the treatment of effluent which is generated during the production of starch from maize. The anaerobic system converts the organic matter into methane-rich biogas, which is then captured for the generation of electricity. In the absence of projects like this, wastewater effluent often is left in open lagoons, where methane freely escapes into the atmosphere, exacerbating the greenhouse effect. By capturing the methane, the project is able to prevent these emissions and also use the captured biogas to generate electricity.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Demand for electricity in Vietnam has grown by an average of 10% each year over the past five years, and continues to grow in line with Vietnam’s rapid economic growth. This is resulting in demand outstripping supply in many areas, leading to power shortages across the country. In 2020, over half of Vietnam’s electricity was generated from coal.

By replacing electricity generated from fossil fuel fired power plants with electricity generated using wind power this project will generate 320,000 MWh of renewable electricity every year and feed it into Vietnam’s national grid, helping to bridge the gap between supply and demand that currently exists.

This project has already employed over 100 people who operate the wind power plant. It also supports the local community by funding social events, contributing to local charities that improve services for local people, and has planted 24,800 trees to promote regional biodiversity.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

https://ecologi.com/projects/wind-power-bac-lieu-vietnam

Over 90% of the waste generated in Turkey is sent to landfill sites. Organic processes break down landfill waste, and this process releases the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) into the atmosphere – landfill sites are one of the largest sources of methane emissions worldwide.

The Kayseri Molu Landfill Gas to Energy Project is a large-scale project to capture the landfill methane released from existing landfill area, and convert it into electricity. The captured biogas from this project is then used to generate electricity which displaces emissions-heavy fossil fuel energy in the national grid, resulting in emissions reductions.

Capturing methane emissions from the landfill also has benefits locally, from reducing odour nuisance to reducing the risk of fires and explosions on-site.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Historically, large parts of Zimbabwe were covered by forests with abundant and diverse wildlife – a richly biodiverse country featuring seven terrestrial eco-regions. In recent decades though, more than a third of Zimbabwe’s forests have been lost. The causes of deforestation here are primarily socio-economic, such as subsistence agriculture, urban expansion, poaching and collecting firewood – all exacerbated by political and economic turbulence in recent years.

This project is located on the shores of Lake Kariba, the largest human-made lake in the world, in northern Zimbabwe. The Kariba REDD+ Project protects almost 785,000 hectares of forests and wildlife on the southern shores. It acts as a giant biodiversity corridor that connects four national parks and eight safari reserves, protecting an expansive forest and numerous vulnerable and endangered species.

The project supports a range of activities beyond simply environmental protection, including promoting the independence and wellbeing of the local communities. Improved clinic amenities provide better healthcare, infrastructure including new roads and water boreholes improve daily life, and school subsidies are offered to the poorest quartile of the population. Project activities in conservation agriculture, community gardens, beekeeping training, fire management, and ecotourism create jobs and facilitate sustainable incomes, benefitting the entire region.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and the Climate, Community & Biodiversity Standards.

Vietnam’s energy demands have consistently increased since the 1990s, with consumption per capita more than doubling over the last decade. Drastic increases in demand and insufficient supply has led to power shortages in Vietnam, negatively impacting people’s daily lives and slowing economic growth. A key contributor to the power shortages is over-reliance on coal.

This project is situated in the Vinh Hao commune, Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan province, Vietnam. It will generate electricity using photovoltaic technology, which transforms sunlight into electricity. The construction process of the project was carefully managed to minimise the impact on the local environment. During the operation of the project pollution will also be minimised through a series of measures, including ensuring no littering takes place, and waste materials will be responsibly disposed of off-site.

Additionally, the project is contributing directly to improving the living standards of local residents at the Vinh Hao commune, and in the Binh Thuan province generally, through economic support funds: the commune gratitude fund in the Vinh Hao commune, and the learning promotion fund in the Binh Thuan province.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Egypt is situated in the northeastern corner of Africa, and is a country characterised by quintessential desert landscapes and markers of its ancient Egyptian civilisation. This country also has abundant potential for solar power, with near-constant daily sunshine throughout the year.

The project is located in Benban, Egypt. Benban solar park is a power complex of 41 solar power plants being developed. It is anticipated to be the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) park in the world, upon completion.

This project involves the installation and operation of a solar power plant with peak capacity of 50 MW and does this through utilising photovoltaic (PV) solar power technology. The PV panel generates electricity by converting solar power, the most abundant renewable energy, into electric power to create clean energy with no consumption of fossil fuels and no emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs).

Additionally, this project aims to enhance general well-being for the people of Egypt.  In recent years, Egypt has faced a serious shortage of electricity due to insufficient and inconsistent supply, which has caused negative development impacts for the economy as a whole, as well as the activities of many households. This project will contribute to balancing the gap between supply and demand, and increase development opportunities as a result.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the second largest country in Africa, characterised by its lush natural rainforests and abundance of biodiversity that’s found nowhere else in the world. The rainforest not only provides vital habitat for wildlife in the area, but also serves as a crucial carbon sink for the world. Unfortunately though, deforestation and degradation is a huge threat to the natural rainforests and mangrove ecosystems in the DRC. Key drivers exacerbating this threat include logging, unsustainable fuel wood extraction and slash and burn agriculture practices.

This is the first project of its kind in the Congo Basin, and will protect 248,956 hectares of forest. The project is centred not only around reducing carbon emissions, but also the local communities and biodiversity. Some of the revenue from the carbon credits this project is issued with will be going directly to local communities, and they will decide what they want to spend it on to improve the lives of local people.

A social responsibility commitment, signed by the government of the DRC and Ecosystem Restoration Associates Inc. (one of the project developers), called a Cahier de charge outlines ERA’s pledges to:

• Build a minimum of 20 schools
• Construct health care centres in 5 villages
• Repair and extend secondary hospitals in 2 villages
• Assist transportation to off-concession markets for agricultural and other products
• Provide a network of rural canteens
• Improve agricultural production technique
• Recruit employees from local communities

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

https://ecologi.com/projects/preventing-deforestation-in-the-democratic-republic-of-congo

Bulgaria, situated in southeastern Europe, currently relies on fossil fuels and nuclear energy for the majority of its energy generation. Bulgaria has also become one of the fastest-growing wind energy producers in the world – due in part to its favourable geography.

The Saint Nikola Wind Farm project is located in the Municipality of Kavarna, Bulgaria and is designed to generate electricity through wind energy to displace fossil fuel-generated electricity. The project is made up of 52 wind turbines. The wind farm’s careful design allows for the land to continue to be used as agricultural land by local landowners and farmers.

As well as providing a significant reduction in emissions, the project provides local social impacts through the upgrade of local roads and the provision of jobs, both skilled and unskilled.

This project is verified by the the Verified Carbon Standard.

https://ecologi.com/projects/renewable-wind-energy-bulgaria

Peatlands are a type of wetland and are among the most valuable ecosystems on Earth. The term ‘peatland’ refers to the peat soil and the wetland habitat growing on its surface. These unique habitats store massive amounts of carbon, more carbon than all other vegetation types in the world combined. When peatlands are cleared, drained or burned, the carbon stored within them is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

The Katingan Restoration and Conservation Project is located within the districts of Katingan and Kotawaringin Timur in the Central Kalimantan Province of Indonesian Borneo.  The project sets out to protect and restore 149,800 hectares of peatland ecosystem.  This includes the protection of existing peatland forest through satellite monitoring and fire management.

Through the protection and restoration of peatland ecosystems, the project pursues three core goals: to protect the carbon stored within these peatlands and prevent its release into the atmosphere, mitigating climate change. To protect the rich biodiversity of the region. Finally, to improve the well-being and sustainable economic prospects of the 43,000 local people, through initiatives such as micro-finance loans to support local female-led business, youth job training and internships, and the provision of health education and wellbeing support for the most vulnerable community members.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard.

Experts calculate that electrification of the world’s railways could significantly reduce global carbon emissions. India has the second longest rail infrastructure in the world, and has committed to 100% electrification of broad-gauge routes by 2023, and net zero emissions by 2030.

This project will result in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through a number of changes being made to the railway system and reducing reliance on less efficient and more polluting forms of transport. One of the improvements being made to the trains themselves to improve their energy efficiency is to use regenerative braking systems.

There are also a number of other programmes associated with this project to bring benefits to the local area. These include tree preservation and planting programmes, building a shelter home for children living on the street and Old Age winter homes, and setting up wastewater treatment plants to improve water use efficiency. As part of the project the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation who is leading this project will also work with schools to raise awareness on conservation of natural resources, and work with NGOs and conduct free awareness programmes on environment and climate change.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

The agricultural sector is particularly important in India, with well over half of the population generating an income from agriculture. The country is the world’s second largest producer of rice, accounting for 22.5% of overall world rice production, and this means rice production is a particularly important source of income for rural populations.

This small project involves the implementation of a 5MW cogeneration power project powered by waste rice husks. The project is designed to meet growing electricity demands as local manufacturing infrastructure develops, without producing increases in fossil fuel energy usage.

The electricity produced helps to meet energy demands, and replaces electricity that would otherwise come from the largely coal-powered NEWNE (India’s integrated Northern, Eastern, Western, North-Eastern) grid.

This project is verified by the the Verified Carbon Standard.

India’s energy needs are rapidly increasing, with growth in electricity and energy demand among the highest in the world. Although there has been progress in renewable energy generation, 54.67% of energy in India still comes from coal.

Solar PV (photovoltaic) energy is generated by transforming solar energy into electricity. The purpose of this project is to generate electricity using solar energy and sell the power generated to the state grid. The generated electricity will be exported to the regional grid system which is under the purview of the new, interconnected national electricity grid of India. The emissions reductions are projected to equal approximately 93,000 tonnes CO2e per year.

The project also contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through providing access to affordable clean energy (SDG 7), providing good employment to local people (SDG 8), and of course, emissions reductions to contribute to climate action (SDG 13).

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

India has one of the fastest growing energy demands in the world, yet 74% of its electricity still comes from fossil fuels. One way in which to accelerate the transition towards clean energy is to expand its wind power sector.

The Suzlon 9.40 MW Wind Power Project is located in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India and is designed to generate electricity through wind energy to displace fossil fuel-generated electricity. The produced electricity is exported to the regional NEWNE grid, which provides electricity to most of India. Emissions reductions of around 14,000 tonnes per year occur as a result of this project activity, because the renewable energy from the wind turbines displaces fossil fuel energy in the grid.

The project also contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goals through providing access to affordable clean energy (SDG 7), providing good employment to local people (SDG 8), and of course, emissions reductions to contribute to climate action (SDG 13).

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Energy generation in South Africa is dominated by the coal industry. In 2021, over 71% of South Africa’s energy was derived from coal. As the world’s most polluting energy source, a shift away from coal is desperately needed if we are to stem global temperature rise, so alternative energy sources need developing to meet energy demands. South Africa generates 45% of Africa’s energy, and has been identified as the country with the highest wind potential in sub-Saharan Africa.

South Africa is currently in the midst of an energy crisis that has been steadily growing over the past 14 years, underpinned by the prolonged lack of reliable electricity supply from the country’s state-owned utility supplier. Causes for the energy sector’s collapse are multi-faceted, but reside in the improper maintenance of existing coal-fired power station infrastructure, corruption and mismanagement, and until very recently, a general reluctance to move beyond reliance on coal.

This project, called the Longyuan Mulilo De Aar 2 North Wind Energy Facility, is located outside of the town of De Aar, the main town of the Emthanjeni Local Municipality located in the Northern Cape Province. Economically, this project has created lots of job opportunities in the local area. The project is also supporting local sport, sponsoring local football teams!

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

The production processes at distilleries generate large amounts of wastewater containing a high concentration of organic waste, which – when left untreated in open lagoons – leads to potent greenhouse gases like methane being released into the atmosphere. Because of the climate impact of these emissions from organic waste, it is vital to ensure the treatment of as much waste as possible, to minimise the potential for output of harmful greenhouse gases when the waste decomposes.

This innovative project mitigates greenhouse gas emissions caused by the decomposition of wastewater from the Thai San Miguel Liquor (TSML) distillery in Bangkok, by capturing biogas from wastewater and converting it to electricity in newly-installed engines. The process uses methane digesters, which harness the power of microbes to transform organic waste into biogas (an energy source) and digestate (a nutrient-rich fertiliser). The project reduces greenhouse gas emissions by capturing the biogas before it enters the atmosphere and converting it into electricity. The electricity is then used to replace the fossil fuel energy which powers the TSML boilers, and is also exported to the Thai national grid.

Estimated emissions reductions from this project around over 87,000 tonnes per year. As well as providing jobs and training directly linked to the project activity, the project owner also engages in a wide range of social initiatives and educational programmes, including funeral care and sponsoring gifts for the Ton Lum Yai temple during Loy Kratong Festival.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Over 90% of the waste generated in Turkey is sent to landfill sites. This waste then decomposes and releases the greenhouse gas methane into the atmosphere. Instead of being released into the atmosphere, landfill methane can instead be tapped, captured, and used as an energy source for generating electricity.

The Samsun Landfill Gas to Energy Project is an innovative project to capture the landfill methane released from the Samsun landfill site, and convert it into clean electricity. This project will collect the landfill gas that is released from decaying waste with a newly-constructed landfill gas collection and utilisation system. This gas will then be used to generate electricity. An estimated 54,600 MWh per year of electricity will be generated and exported to the Turkish national grid.

Estimated emissions reductions from this project are around 142,395 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents per year. The project will also benefit the local community by providing employment and training opportunities, with 20-25 permanent jobs.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Most of the energy generated in Vietnam is produced from coal and oil, but the country has a great potential to develop its solar power capabilities, due to the many sunshine hours and high solar radiation intensity, especially in the Southern part of the country.

The Quang Minh solar project installs and operates a solar farm in a rural part of Southern Vietnam, harnessing the country’s strong sun to generate renewable energy. The estimated power output for this plant is 50MW, producing annual emissions reductions of just over 60,000 tonnes of CO2. Projects like this one produce emissions reductions by replacing electricity in the grid which would otherwise have been generated by fossil fuels like oil and coal. This project provides around 36,000 local people with access to clean energy each year, and also provides well-paid employment opportunities for local people – around 2.5x higher than the local average salary.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Energy production in Chile has been historically dominated by fossil fuels, with over 70% of total primary energy supplied by coal, oil or gas, despite the country’s relatively low fossil fuel resources. In recent years, however, Chile has branched out into other energy sources, and has become known as a leader in renewable energy development – making great strides in geothermal, solar and wind energy, and other “Non-Conventional Renewable Energy (NCRE)” sources.

Biomass power is considered a ‘bridging solution’ – allowing waste products to be used to generate power as an alternative to high-emitting fossil fuels. This project involves the production of electricity through the collection and processing of waste biomass from the Viñales sawmill in central Chile. The waste biomass is directly combusted in a boiler to generate steam, which is expanded through a turbine to generate electricity. The electricity produced powers the sawmill itself, and excess electricity is additionally passed into the local grid.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

India generates 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste per year, of which 75% is collected. Only 20% of collected waste is treated, the rest being sent to dumpsites or landfills, having negative environmental impacts and posing huge issues to human health. Out of the municipal solid waste generated, 50% is organic.

The purpose of the India Organic Waste Management Programme is organic waste management through the dissemination of biogas plants at domestic, community and institutional level. The biogas is recovered and utilized for thermal and electrical applications, thereby replacing the use of fossil fuels and firewood used for cooking and heating purposes and electricity generated by the burning of fossil fuels or sourced from the grid.

The project also avoids methane emissions due to improper disposal of waste dumped at dumpsites and landfills. Additionally, a survey found that 100 families who used to use fuelwood for cooking, but now use biogas produced from organic waste through this project, have experienced improved air quality.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Peru is the third largest country in South America. With approximately 33 million inhabitants, Peru is well known for its ancient Inca ruins and abundance of mineral, agricultural, and marine resources. Tourism is a major element of Peru’s economic makeup, which has meant that the preservation of its history and environment are crucial components for the longevity of the country and its people.

Peru’s mountain and forest ecosystems are under huge threat from land use change, climate change, deforestation and extractive activities and its continental water ecosystems face ongoing pressure from pollution, degradation, damming and overfishing. The IUCN Red List indicates that there has also been an increase in the number of threatened species in the country.

Situated near the Bolivian border in the Madre de Dios region in Peru, this project takes place in the Natural Protected Areas (NPAs) of Tambopata National Reserve and a sector of Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. The project prevents deforestation and provides tropical rainforest habitat for an incredible variety of rare and endangered wildlife by creating an economic buffer zone around a 591,119 hectare forest to protect rainforest area and provides local people with forest-friendly and sustainable livelihoods.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Tropical rainforests, such as those found in the Amazon basin, have long been referred to as “the lungs of the world”. Around a third of the world’s primary tropical rainforest (490 million hectares) is situated in Brazil, and around 80% of this tropical rainforest is situated in the Brazilian part of the Amazon basin. The Amazon rainforest is one of the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, and is home to 10% of all known terrestrial species.

However, sadly, 20% of the Brazilian Amazon rainforest was lost between 1975 and 2018, largely to clear land for agriculture, oil and gas production, mining, logging, and infrastructure.

The objective of this Brazilian Amazon REDD project is to avoid emissions from planned deforestation on a property in Para State, in the Eastern Amazon of Brazil. The property includes five forest areas: Rio Capim, Poty, Cauaxi, Sumal and Caculé, totaling over 200,000 hectares.

Instead of being deforested this area of rainforest will be conserved. Limited forest management activities will be undertaken within the area under Forest Stewardship Council® Certification. It is estimated that the project activity will avoid over 9.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions over 10 years – which would have been emitted in the absence of the project.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Colombia is renowned for its richness in biodiversity; accounting for an estimated 10% of the world’s flora and faunal species. It is one of only 12 countries globally that are considered megadiverse. It is estimated that Colombia’s rich ecosystems contain over 40,000 species of plants. Deforestation has historically represented a large environmental challenge in Colombia.

The Matavén REDD+ project protects 1,150,212 hectares of tropical forest in the Indigenous Reservation of the Matavén Forest.

Almost 16,000 Indigenous people live locally, benefitting from co-projects alongside the protection of the forest: including providing education, healthcare centres, dental services, sanitation and food security.

The project is certified to Verra’s Climate, Community and Biodiversity Standard (CCBS) and is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Historically Honduras relied heavily on agricultural exports for its income, but nowadays this industry is less dominant, with many people now working in the textiles industry. With more energy-intensive industrial processes comes a higher demand for energy, and in fact demand for energy has more than doubled in the last 20 years, meaning that there is great demand for energy from renewable sources.

This project will generate 345,970MWh of energy every year, which will be put into the National Interconnected System of Honduras. Honduras aims to be producing 60% of its energy from renewable sources by 2022, and this project is playing an important role in reaching that goal. The project is preventing the emission of 226,978 tonnes of CO2e every year it is operational by replacing energy in the national grid generated from burning fossil fuels with energy from wind power.

In addition, 57,000 trees have been planted over 34 acres around the project site including 10,000 species of oak that is native to Central America, and is classified as vulnerable by the The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). During the construction of the project, almost 500 local people were employed, and now 32 local people are employed full time by the project, providing a stable income for the employees and their families. Furthermore, access to clean water for around 2,000 local people was improved by the project in 2014 when three water wells were drilled.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

The percentage of India’s population with access to electricity has been rising steadily over the past few decades. While access to electricity is almost universal across India, demand for electricity has more than doubled since 2000, largely due to India’s rapidly growing population.

Coal continues to be India’s primary source of electricity, and the contribution of renewables to India’s energy mix has grown only slightly in the last 20 years, from 1% to 3%. India’s reliance on coal is worrying, and contributes greatly to India’s position as the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world, after China and the USA.

This small hydropower project is located in the lesser Himalayas, in the state of Himachal Pradesh in northern India. This project will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing electricity in the grid that would have been produced by burning fossil fuels. Every year, 17,614 tCO2e will be prevented from being emitted by this hydropower plant. The project will also bring both skilled and unskilled jobs to the local area too, employing 13 local people and training 1 more.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Indonesia is currently the fourth largest coal pipeline in the world (after China, India and Turkey) and 6% of the global share. A significant shift from coal expansion to renewable energy generation is needed – and Indonesia has great potential for wind, solar and geothermal energy, all clean alternatives to fossil fuels.

This project is situated in Pringgabaya, on the island of Lombok, Indonesia. The project provides renewable solar energy to a grid which is currently dominated by fossil fuels, helping to displace those polluting energy sources with cleaner power.

The project includes 18 community development activities, as well as providing 69 local jobs.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Thailand’s energy, like in most countries, has historically been produced by burning fossil fuels. However, as new regulations are introduced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Thailand is producing more energy from renewable sources, including wind power. The demand for energy in Thailand is also expected to increase by 78% by 2036, so there is an urgent need to increase the amount of energy Thailand can produce, with a growing proportion of this energy coming from renewable sources.

This wind power project bundles the West Huaybong 2 and West Huaybong 3 wind farms, which together will generate over 500,000 MWh of electricity every year and feed it into Thailand’s national grid. By replacing electricity generated from fossil fuel fired power plants with renewable electricity generated using wind power, these two wind farms will prevent around 250,000 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere every year.

This project provides 80 jobs to local people who operate the two wind power plants, as well as providing local support, development and activities annually, including community festivals, educational projects, and sports days.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Taiwan relies on imports of oil and coal for the vast majority of its energy, and renewables currently make up only a tiny portion of the country’s total energy consumption. Due to its location, the island has the potential to harness strong wind both on- and offshore.

This large-scale project harnesses the strong prevailing winds along Taiwan’s Western coast, developing two onshore wind farms. Combined, the wind farms consist of 62 turbines which generate renewable energy which is delivered straight to the national grid.

As well as helping accelerate the country’s shift toward renewables, boosting wind energy production helps to lessen the reliance on fossil fuel imports, representing an economic and national security boost as well. In addition, the project is engaged in several activities that help to preserve the local ecosystem – such as regular beach clean-ups and guided tours that raise awareness about climate change, pollution and other environmental issues. The project has also supported the reforestation of a small parcel of local land, which is encouraging local biodiversity.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Brazil as a country is the 5th biggest producer of waste in the world. The majority of this waste ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane gas. Methane is around 34 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and, when released into the atmosphere, has a significant impact on warming.

The objective of the Uberlândia landfills I and II project is to collect the landfill gas produced in the  Uberlândia landfills and use it to generate electricity. The project will collect the methane gas that is produced from this waste, and implement the infrastructure needed to convert this gas into clean energy.

The implementation of this project will both prevent environmentally damaging methane from being released into the atmosphere, and export renewable electricity to the grid, avoiding the dispatch of the same amount of electricity from fossil-fuel based power plants in the Brazilian National Grid. Additionally the project will provide labour capacity and income generation, as qualified operators are needed to maintain and operate the machinery.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Mexico has a lot of wind power potential, with the zone of El Istmo de Tehuantepec alone having the potential to produce over 33,000MW. Increased capacity for producing energy from wind power is vital in Mexico’s transition away from fossil fuels, which still generate over 90% of Mexico’s energy.

The project is part of a larger wind project, with two other wind turbine sites also producing clean energy for Mexico. The three projects have contributed towards several areas of sustainable development in the local area. This includes improved health services in the local area funded by the project. Education has been boosted in the local area by the project too, with grants being offered for Masters degrees in wind energy. Local employment has also been boosted by the project. Jobs at the wind power plant itself have boosted local employment rates, but also 40 women from the local area have been trained on typical clothing embroidery techniques and have received help to organise the sale of their products. Biodiversity has also been supported by the project, with 152.8 hectares of land being restored in local communities, bat monitoring and a vertebrate rescue program has been put in place, and bird observation towers also help reduce the impact of the turbines on local wildlife. In addition, 1,080 children aged 6 to 15 have been taught in a new sustainability classroom about the importance of nature and biodiversity.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

Brazil as a country is the 5th biggest producer of waste in the world. The majority of this waste ends up in landfills, where it decomposes and releases methane gas. Methane is around 34 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide and, when released into the atmosphere, has a significant impact on warming.

Macaúbas Landfill Gas Project is a landfill gas collection, use and flare project in Brazil. The main objective of the project is to prevent emissions of methane gas into the atmosphere from the landfill site called “Central de Tratamento de Resíduos Macaúbas” located in the municipality of Sabará in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The project activity comprises the installation of new active LFG extraction, flaring and electricity generation systems.

The implementation of this project will both prevent environmentally damaging methane from being released into the atmosphere and export electricity to the grid, while preventing emissions of methane. Additionally the project will provide jobs and income generation, as qualified operators are needed to maintain and operate the machinery.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.

In Tanzania, the primary fuel source for over 90% of the population of around 48 million people is biomass, in the form of firewood or charcoal. Data from 2020 showed that less than 5% of the population had access to clean fuels for cooking. For the remaining 95% of the population, their only choice currently is to use more polluting sources of fuel, such as firewood and charcoal.

Installing what are often known as ‘cleaner cookstoves’ can bring lots of benefits to both people and the environment. By reducing the amount of wood and charcoal that is burned by using these more efficient stoves, the volume of greenhouse gas emissions produced is reduced, and also less time and energy needs to be spent collecting this fuel – a job which often falls to women and children to carry out.

This project will distribute and install 500,000 fuel-efficient improved cookstoves throughout Tanzania, replacing less efficient cooking setups – often open fires. The project brings several benefits for local people, including freeing up of time and money for other income-generating activities, health benefits due to reducing exposure to air pollution in the home, and increased food security due to nutrient retention with decreased cook time.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard and Verra’s Sustainable Development Verified Impact Standard (SD VISta).

In many countries around the world, burning non-renewable biomass is the most common source of heat for cooking. Often, the stoves used to burn this biomass are not efficient enough to make the best use of the fuel available, leading to high levels of unsustainable deforestation.

Furthermore, burning more biomass than is essential produces even more greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change. Not only are these emissions bad for the planet, they’re also detrimental to the health of the people nearby, producing air pollution within the home that compromises respiratory health. In Kenya, 9 million people rely on biomass for cooking. Distributing cleaner cookstoves can bring lots of benefits to both people and the environment.

This project distributes fuel efficient ‘Jikokoa’ cookstoves to communities around Kenya. These stoves reduce charcoal consumption by 64%, helping to ease the impact on local forests, and saving local families money. The stoves reduce indoor air pollution by 65%, generating health benefits for the families who rely on them. Over the lifetime of this project, over 380,000 cookstoves will be distributed, avoiding 4.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions, and reducing demand for wood fuel by 2.4 million tonnes. The manufacture and distribution of the stoves all takes place locally in a solar-powered facility, which provides over a thousand jobs for local people.

This project is verified by the Gold Standard.

Thailand is a country situated in Southeast Asia, with a population of around 70.1 million people. Its annual average temperature has increased by an average rate of 0.8°С per century since the 1950’s.

This project is situated in the Nongwang, Bueng Prue and Samnaktakhro sub-districts of Thepharak District, Nakhonratchasima Province in Thailand. The project site is Northeast of Bangkok, and is a greenfield project, meaning that no prior activity was installed before the commissioning of this project.

The purpose of this project is to generate clean electricity through the utilisation of wind energy by implementing 90 megawatts (MW) of wind power from 30 Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs) of an individual capacity of 3 MW each. In this project, energy from wind is converted into mechanical energy and subsequently transformed into electrical energy. There are no GHG emissions associated with the electricity generation created from this project. The electricity generated by this project is exported to the Thailand National grid, which will displace an equivalent amount of electricity which would have otherwise been generated by fossil fuel sources.

This project is verified by the Verified Carbon Standard.