Amazon declares US$10 million grant for Internet-Zero Carbon plan
Amazon, an e-commerce company, announced in cooperation with a grant of USD 10 million / GBP 8 million to preserve, restore and support sustainable forestry, wildlife and nature-based solutions in the Appalachian Mountains Conservation. Nature-based solutions relate to the sustainable management and use of nature to tackle challenges such as removing carbon from the atmosphere, to slow down climate change, and to maintain water and food security, biodiversity protection, human health and Contribute to disaster risk management.
This funding will initially support projects in Pennsylvania and Vermont that help family forest owners bind carbon and support expansion in the Appalachian Mountains in a network of climate-resistant forests that The Nature Conservancy scientists have found to be best in the face of the climate Change can thrive.
This is the first project from Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund of $ 100 million / £ 80.9 million, an initiative to remove carbon from the atmosphere through the restoration and conservation of forests, wetlands, grasslands and bogs around the world. Last year Amazon was a co-founder of Global optimism and became the first signer of The Climate Pledge – he committed to achieving the Paris Agreement goals 10 years earlier and being net zero carbon by 2040 by decarbonizing its operations and using nature-based solutions.
Families across the country own 290 million acres of American forests, more than the federal government or the forestry industry, and have the ability to reduce atmospheric carbon levels and slow down through sustainable forest management and restoration that conserves and maintains ecosystems Contributing to climate change forests for the benefit of present and future generations. Families are provided with the tools and resources necessary to assess, plan and implement forest management practices to increase the economic and environmental value of their forests.
Amazon, nature conservation, the American Forest Foundation, and the Vermont Land Trust work together on two innovative projects – the Family Forest Carbon Program and Forest Carbon Co-ops. The Family Forest Carbon Program will open the markets for carbon credits to small family forest owners. Amazon's engagement will expand the program in the Appalachian Mountains and other U.S. regions and develop new methods of measuring and reviewing reforestation and forest management practices.
The Forest Carbon Co-op will help owners of medium-sized forests use sustainable forest management and protection measures to generate income through the carbon credit market. The Amazon grant will support efforts to expand the program in climate-resistant forests in the Appalachian Mountains, develop a scientific approach to regional carbon impact measurement, and improve the project review methodology.
"These projects will preserve forests and wildlife for future generations – and the planet – and will help remove carbon from the atmosphere," said Kara Hurst, vice president of sustainability for Amazon. “Amazon's Right Now Climate Fund will invest $ 100 million / $ 80.9 million in nature-based climate solutions like this to help tackle the climate crisis while having a positive economic impact on the community and nature. We are delighted to partner with The Nature Conservancy, the American Forest Foundation and the Vermont Land Trust on our path to achieving Amazon's climate promise to be net zero carbon by 2040. "
"Family forest owners are a critical part of the puzzle when it comes to combating climate change," said Lynn Scarlett, chief nature affairs officer for The Nature Conservancy. "But many of America's nearly 11 million family forest owners may face obstacles that prevent them from taking action." Those with small acreage were unable to access existing carbon markets because of the high development costs, which could generate income and help bind carbon on their land. This Amazon financing enables small forest landowners to take advantage of the economic opportunities associated with carbon sequestration and the storage potential of US forests for the first time. "
"In the United States, one in four rural Americans own forestland," said Tom Martin, president and CEO of the American Forest Foundation. “Together they own the largest part of the forests in our country – and are therefore the key to overcoming our climatic challenges. Their commitment to the country is more than their size – these people want to help the environment. Amazon's commitment will go a long way, opening doors for nearly 11 million American families to do even more to remove carbon from the atmosphere. "
"Working with Amazon and The Nature Conservancy, we are creating something that has never existed: empowering small forest owners to unite and manage their land to generate revenue through the carbon credit market," said Nick Richardson, President and CEO of the Vermont Land Trust. "This is an incredible benefit for Vermont forest owners and all of us who rely on their efforts. This is the future of our work and the future of conservation across the country."
