FOREST CARBON OFFSETS

Visionary projects, like Restore the Earth Foundation’s 1 million acre landscape-scale reforestation in the Mississippi River Basin,  “North America’s Amazon”, show great promise in combating climate change.

 

Once completed, over 100 million trees will be planted, 200,000,000 MT CO2e will be sequestered, and over $12 billion in economic value will be generated.  Restoration at this scale ensures that biodiversity, habitats, and communities are enhanced and supported in self-sustaining systems, all while mitigating climate change.

To accomplish our 1 million acre reforestation and to achieve the intended climate mitigation impacts, Restore the Earth formed a strategic partnership with ClimeCo, a leader in the management and development of environmental commodities.  ClimeCo provides their technical and market advisory services to help Restore the Earth’s funding partners to meet their established sustainability objectives and achieve unique competitive advantages.  This partnership supports valuing and marketing REF’s charismatic forest carbon reductions along with the measurable co-benefits generated by its reforestation projects.

The Climate Action Reserve’s Climate Forward

 

To enhance carbon credit reduction opportunities for funders, Restore the Earth pioneered work with the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) in developing a forward crediting accounting methodology for reforestation to be included with CAR’s Climate Forward program. Emission reductions issued under the Climate Forward program are called future mitigation units (FMUs).

 

The Climate Forward program is designed to accelerate action on climate change by encouraging companies and organizations to proactively invest today in projects that mitigate future greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The Climate Forward program provides a mechanism for Restore the Earth to quantify, verify and register FMUs, which ClimeCo will market to buyers to help fund future reforestation efforts in the Mississippi River Basin.

 

Restore the Earth recognized the potential for the Climate Forward program to drive nature-based solutions like reforestation to the forefront of efforts that address excess carbon in the atmosphere.

 

Restore the Earth takes great care in the design and accounting of its forest carbon emission reduction projects, which are developed using accepted methodologies for Reforestation under the Climate Forward program. In addition to CAR, these projects also follow accepted methodologies under the American Carbon Registry (ACR) and Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard. Emission reductions can be registered on the preferred registry of the choice.  This assures that the forest carbon offsets delivered are:

Real: carbon stock represents real emission reductions that are third-party validated

Additional: carbon sequestered or emissions reduced would not have occurred without the reforestation project – above and beyond business as usual

Assured Against Leakage: all projects include a risk-adjusted buffer to offset any potential “leakage”

Permanent: all Restore the Earth reforestation projects have permanent, “in perpetuity” conservation easements along with sustainable forest management programs

Registered: all emission reductions can be registered on either the Climate Action Reserve, the American Carbon Registry, or Verra’s Verified Carbon Standard registries (depending on preference) in the funding partner’s name and retired

These forest carbon FMUs are assigned in perpetuity to a project funding partner to become part of its strategic carbon reduction portfolio and to compliment its commitment to minimizing its climate footprint. High quality nutrient and water credits are also generated from Restore the Earth’s reforestation projects.

Why Landscape-Scale Restoration Should Become a Critical Part of Your Strategic Carbon Offset Portfolio

Benefits of investing in the reforestation of North America’s Amazon include:

  • Amplified Investment: every $1 of private funding unlocks public matching funds to amplify the investment, number of acres reforested and FMUs created
  • Assigning Credits: verified benefits of carbon, water, phosphorus and nitrogen reductions can be assigned to funders proportionate to their investment
  • Charismatic Co-Benefits: Restore the Earth’s EcoMetrics provides partners with the ability to capture and report on the full value of the environmental, social and economic benefits created by their investment—documented, verified and ready for third-party audit
  • Mitigation of Risk
  • Enhanced Social License to Operate: build upon corporate reputation in an authentic and progressive way
  • Thought Leadership and Recognition: join visionary environmental sustainability leaders in the vanguard of a highly visible, content-rich new program—the world is watching this bold landscape-scale reforestation project carefully

Once complete, the restoration will:

2%

Reduction in US emissions

$12b

Integrated value generated

12%

Reversal in the impact of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico

THE BIG PICTURE: NORTH AMERICA’S AMAZON

More than just a dream, this is an action plan that is well underway. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners have specifically identified these key areas ready for reforestation. Millions of dollars have already been raised. For more information, see our project page.

 

Partners: A wide array of partners, including Citgo, Coca-Cola Foundation, Dow, Entergy, Shell, VMware and others, have come together to invest in reforestation to take action toward their climate commitments. Join them!

OUR PARTNERS