Amazon is funding the planting of 180 million spekboom shrubs in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The project aims to restore degraded land and generate nature based carbon removal credits. Amazon has committed to buying 1.95 million tonnes of these credits. Spekboom is known for its ability to store carbon in soil and remove CO2 from the atmosphere. The project is expected to create around 11,000 jobs by 2030 and generate over R8 billion in economic value for local communities. Environmental lawyer Ricky Stone explained that Amazon's involvement provides a guaranteed buyer for the credits, which reduces financial risk for the project. This model is becoming more common as tech companies look to offset emissions from energy intensive operations like AI data centers. The article highlights how corporate demand for verified carbon removal is driving nature based restoration projects in South Africa.
