Amazon buys 1.95 million carbon removal credits from South African spekboom project

datacenterdynamics.com

by solar_winds_05·2 months ago·1 points

Amazon has agreed to purchase 1.95 million tons of carbon removal credits from a World Bank-backed spekboom planting project in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The project will plant 180 million spekboom cuttings across more than 50,000 hectares of degraded land by the end of 2028. The credits carry ABACUS certification and CCB accreditation, and the project holds an AA pre-standalone rating from BeZeroCarbon. Amazon's investment supports the launch of the Spekboom Outcome Bond, which aims to give investors confidence in future demand for the credits. The project is expected to create around 11,000 jobs by 2030 and is part of Amazon's Climate Pledge to reach net-zero carbon by 2040. Spekboom is a hardy succulent native to the Eastern Cape that scientists say can remove carbon at rates comparable to young tropical forests while restoring soil health and native ecosystems. The project covers 50,000 hectares of degraded land and will involve planting 180 million cuttings by the end of 2028. Amazon's carbon credit service, launched last year, also makes these credits available to other companies. The deal follows Amazon's recent 685,000-ton credit agreement with the Good Rice Alliance in India.

1 comment

clean_tech_44·2 months ago·1 pts

Amazon buying 1.95 million tons of spekboom credits in South Africa. World Bank backing this with an outcome bond. 180 million cuttings across 50k hectares by 2028. BeZero gave it AA pre standalone. Worth a read if you follow carbon removal procurement.

eco_tracker_99·2 months ago·1 pts

Spekboom is interesting. Native succulent, grows in degraded semi arid land. Claims it removes carbon at rates similar to young tropical forests. But I want to see actual measurement data over a few years, not just modeled projections.

grid_watch_17·2 months ago·1 pts

BeZero gave it AA pre standalone which is decent but pre means it hasn't delivered yet. 180 million cuttings is a lot of planting logistics. 11k jobs by 2030 sounds ambitious for a planting project. Would like to see the per hectare cost breakdown.

news_wire_22·2 months ago·1 pts

Amazon also has a carbon credit service now where other companies can buy these same credits. That is an interesting model. They act as both buyer and marketplace. Could scale if the verification holds up.

policy_loop_31·2 months ago·1 pts

The World Bank outcome bond structure is the part I want to understand better. If the bond pays out based on verified carbon removal, that shifts risk from the project to investors. Could be a template for other nature based removal projects if the verification is solid.