South Pole은 기후 행동을 전 세계 기업과 정부, 조직을 위한 장기적 비즈니스 기회로 전환하는 종합적인 전략을 개발하며, 2006년 이래로 탈탄소화에 앞장서고 있습니다. 또한 South Pole은 선도적인 프로젝트 개발사로, 재생 에너지, 임업, 농업, 산업, 일반 가정 및 공공기관에 1,000여 개의 프로젝트를 제공해왔습니다. 기후 금융을 통해 South Pole은 10억 톤 이상의 이산화탄소 배출량을 절감하고, 특히 기후 변화에 취약한 소외 지역에 사회적 혜택을 제공했으며, 개발도상국에서 약 10만 개의 일자리 창출을 지원했습니다.
온실가스 감축 전략
Title:지금까지 Swarovski는 이미 2019년 기준치 대비 스코프 1, 2 배출량을 12%, 스코프 3 배출량을 26% 감축했습니다. Swarovski는 온실가스 감축을 가속화하고 2015년 파리 협정에 따라 운영하기 위해 제조와 유통, 프로세스 및 정책에 지속적으로 크게 투자하고 있습니다.
완벽한 기후 전략은 감축, 제거, 상쇄를 포함한 모든 방법론을 제시합니다.
실제로 Swarovski는 야심찬 감축 계획과 South Pole과의 기후 프로젝트 외에도, 최근 Climeworks와 대기에서 직접 이산화탄소를 제거하기 위한 5년간의 계약을 체결했습니다(자세한 내용은 여기에서 확인).
중요한 사실은 인증을 받고 추가되는 모든 기후 솔루션이 유효하다는 것입니다. 하나의 조치만이 아닌, 가능한 모든 조치와 해결책을 강구하는 것이 중요합니다. 이것이 바로 Swarovski가 South Pole과 함께 생물다양성 보호와 바이오가스 포집, 수력발전 분야로 영향을 다각화하기 위해 3가지 핵심 프로젝트를 선정한 이유입니다.
Huóshuĭ 소형 수력발전 프로젝트
Title:중국의 외딴 산악 지역을 위한 청정 에너지
Subtitle:이와 비슷한 사례로, 물살이 거센 중국 산악 지역의 강을 활용하면 더 넓고 멀리 떨어진 지역까지 전기를 생산할 수 있지만, 수력 발전소 설치에 상당한 투자가 필요합니다. 이 프로젝트 전만 해도 지역 사회는 열악한 생활 환경을 경험해야 했습니다. 중국의 에너지 수요 중 80%가 석탄 화력발전소에 의해 충족되던 당시, 이 지역의 전력 공급 수준은 매우 부실했으며 지역 내 투자도 거의 이루어지지 않았습니다.
Huóshuĭ 소형 수력발전 프로젝트는 95개의 소형 수력발전소로 구성되어 있습니다. 이들 소형 발전소는 0.1~14MW 규모로, 모두 합쳐서 중국의 연간 평균 50만 이상 가구에 재생 에너지를 공급합니다. 또한 유입식 설계를 통해 환경에 미치는 영향을 최소화할 수 있습니다.
- 프로젝트 표준: SocialCarbon, VCS Verified Carbon Standard
영향:
- 연간 369,000톤의 CO2e(이산화탄소 환산량) 감축(SDG13)
- 연간 재생에너지 740,000MWh 생산(SDG7)
- UN SDG 4, 8, 5 기여.
Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve
Title:Preserving Borneo's tropical peat swamp forests and improving local lives
Subtitle:The Rimba Raya peat swamp forests are located in Central Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. Before the project was established, these immensely biodiverse tropical peatlands were scheduled for conversion into four palm oil estates by the provincial government.
The Rimba Raya Biodiversity Reserve protects 91,215 hectares of rich, tropical peat swamp forests which are monitored by local rangers as well as by satellite and aerial imagery. As well as preserving ecosystem diversity and the habitat of endangered species like the Bornean orangutan, the project reduces emissions by avoiding the planned deforestation of over 47,000 hectares of forests for palm oil production.
The Rimba Raya project not only sequesters carbon and protects habitat for local wildlife; it also promotes local sustainable development, particularly regarding environmental education and economic capacity building.
Project standards:
- Climate, Community & Biodiversity (CCB) Standards (Verra)
- VCS Verified Carbon Standard (Verra)
Impacts:
- 2,162 water filters distributed
- 47,237 hectares protected
- 3,500,000 tonnes of CO2e mitigated
Lan Dokmai Waste-to-energy
Title:Reducing climate impacts and helping with sustainable biogas
Subtitle:Thailand is one of the largest producers of Tapioca starch, which forms an important part of the economy. Unfortunately, starch production is a carbon-intensive process that not only damages the environment but also produces strong-smelling methane emissions from the wastewater that affect the quality of life in surrounding areas.
Rather than allowing the methane to escape freely into the atmosphere, the project captures the gas in order to produce clean electricity. This electricity powers production at the local starch factory; as a result, the air is cleaner and less fossil fuel needs to be purchased. This means that revenue can be generated to support social and educational activities in the community.
With less methane emissions, the quality of the air surrounding the plant has improved dramatically. In addition to this, new jobs and training opportunities for modern technologies are provided by the project. The treated wastewater is much cleaner and can be used for fish farming and irrigation of nearby fields, even the wastewater sludge is given to farmers and recycled for fertilizer.
Just like the renowned Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4) is also a greenhouse gas (GHG), so its presence in the atmosphere affects the earth’s temperature and climate system. Methane is emitted from a variety of anthropogenic (human-influenced) and natural sources. Methane is the second most abundant anthropogenic GHG after carbon dioxide, accounting for about 20% of global emissions, and is also more than 25 times as potent as carbon dioxide at trapping heat in the atmosphere. Therefore, reducing methane emissions has a significant effect on limiting global warming.
Project standards:
• Gold Standard (WWF)
• CDM Clean Development Mechanism (UN FCCC)
Impacts:
- 20,000 tonnes of CO2e
- 2,100 m2 of cleaned wastewater
- 2,200 litres of fossil fuels saved
Frequently Asked Questions
What are carbon credits and how do they work?
Projects must adhere to a rigorous set of criteria to pass verification by third-party agencies and a review by a panel of experts at a leading carbon offset standard like Verra or Gold Standard. After an organization or an individual buys a carbon credit, the credit is permanently retired so it can't be reused.
What makes a good climate action project?
How do I know that the emission reductions are actually happening? What does additionality mean?
For transparency, carbon credits are assigned serial numbers and are issued, transferred and permanently retired in publicly accessible emission registries.
Additionality means that the reductions in emissions achieved by the project must be “above business as usual". That means they would not have happened unless the project was implemented. By purchasing high-quality and verified carbon credits you are directly funding climate action and sustainable development.
What are the different types of climate action projects?
- The first avoids greenhouse gas emissions, for example replacing fossil fuel-derived energy with energy from renewable sources.
- The second removes emissions from the atmosphere, for example, planting more trees, which sequester - or capture - carbon from the atmosphere and store it in liquid or solid form.
- The third captures and destroys emissions, for example capturing methane–a GHG many times more potent than carbon dioxide–from wastewater.
Our global partner South Pole has hundreds of different climate action projects, which cover the following areas:
- Nature-based-solutions (reforestation, land restoration, forest protection, sustainable land management and agriculture)
- Renewable energy (hydropower projects, wind projects, solar power and geothermal)
- Community projects (improved cookstove technology, access to safe water)
- Waste-to-energy (biogas from landfill or industry, and biomass).
