Amazon has committed to a $500 million nature-based carbon removal project in South Africa's Eastern Cape. The initiative involves planting millions of spekboom plants across an area more than twice the size of Seattle. Spekboom is a native succulent known for its high carbon absorption capacity in dry climates. Amazon will purchase about 1.95 million tonnes of carbon removal credits from the project. The project is expected to create roughly 11,000 jobs and deliver over $500 million in economic value to local communities through employment, supply chains, and conservation management. It covers degraded landscapes and aims to restore soil health, reduce erosion, and improve biodiversity alongside carbon sequestration. This investment reflects a broader corporate shift toward high-quality, verifiable carbon removal projects rather than conventional offsets. Amazon frames the purchase as a complement to its direct emission reduction efforts in renewable energy and logistics. The project's success will depend on rigorous monitoring and long-term verification of carbon storage and ecosystem recovery.
