Google and McKinsey back Brazil silvopasture carbon removal project

Google and McKinsey signed long-term agreements to buy 320,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from a silvopasture project in Brazil. The deal, announced through the Symbiosis Coalition, supports Working Trees in converting 8,700 hectares of degraded cattle pasture in the southeastern Amazon and Cerrado into mixed tree and grazing systems. That is part of a broader 50,000-hectare project. Silvopasture keeps cattle on the land while adding commercial timber and native tree species. Working Trees says the approach can improve cattle productivity and give landowners future timber income, which may help keep the systems in place after carbon payments end. The Symbiosis Coalition has pledged to contract more than 20 million tons of offsets by 2030. Critics note that offsets let companies avoid cutting emissions from their own operations. The credibility of this deal will depend on how the project measures carbon gains, sets its baseline, and ensures the trees and soil carbon stay in place over the long term.