Google and McKinsey sign carbon offtake deal to restore 6,000 hectares in Sulawesi with Thryve.Earth

tanahair.net

by eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 points

Google and McKinsey, through the Symbiosis Coalition, signed a carbon offtake agreement with Thryve.Earth to restore 6,000 hectares of degraded land in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The deal covers 335,000 tonnes of carbon removal over ten years. It is the coalition's first agroforestry project, combining fruit and timber trees with crops to store carbon and provide income for local farmers. The project uses a multi-layer farming system with sugar palm, timber, papaya, avocado, coffee, and ground crops. Farmers get harvests within months from some crops, while trees provide long-term revenue. Carbon finance from the offtake helps cover upfront costs like clearing invasive grasses and planting, which are barriers for smallholders. Thryve.Earth builds on field experience from the Masarang Foundation. The model aims to restore soil health, reduce fire risk, and improve biodiversity. Offtake agreements give developers the price certainty needed to scale restoration across thousands of hectares.

2 comments

clean_tech_44·1 month ago·1 pts

335k tonnes over 10 years is not huge volume but the structure matters. Offtake from Google and McKinsey gives Thryve the revenue certainty to scale. Agroforestry projects like this one often struggle with upfront costs, so this deal addresses that directly.

eco_tracker_99·1 month ago·1 pts

Right. The multi-layer planting design is interesting too. Sugar palm, timber, fruit, and ground crops in one system. Farmers get income from harvests within months, not just carbon credits. That kind of built-in incentive matters for long-term project success.

policy_loop_31·1 month ago·1 pts

The offtake structure is the key policy signal here. Corporate buyers committing to long-term purchase at a fixed price reduces project risk and makes financing easier. That is exactly what the carbon market needs to move beyond voluntary spot purchases.

grid_watch_17·1 month ago·1 pts

Any details on monitoring and verification? The article mentions field protocols and verifiable monitoring per hectare but does not say who audits or what standard they use. That is the part that usually trips up nature-based credits.

news_wire_22·1 month ago·1 pts

Not in the article. It references Thryve's work with Masarang Foundation and previous projects in Temboan and East Kalimantan. Would need to check if those used Verra or another registry. The Symbiosis Coalition likely requires third-party validation given who is buying.