Podjetje South Pole razvija obširne strategije, ki podnebno udejstvovanje spreminjajo v dolgoročne poslovne priložnosti za podjetja, vlade in organizacije po svetu, od leta 2006 pa je vodilno na področju dekarbonizacije. Podjetje South Pole je tudi vodilni razvijalec projektov in je izvedlo že skoraj 1.000 projektov na področju obnovljivih virov, gozdarstva, kmetijstva, industrije, gospodinjstev in javnih ustanov v več kot 50 državah. S podnebnimi financami je podjetje South Pole prihranilo že več kot gigatono izpustov CO2, zagotovilo socialne koristi bolj zapostavljenim skupnostim, ki so posebej občutljive na podnebne spremembe, in pomagalo ustvariti več kot 100.000 delovnih mest v razvijajočih se državah.
Naša strategija zmanjševanja toplogrednih plinov
Title:Od leta 2019 do danes smo izpuste obsega 1 in 2 zmanjšali že za 12 % ter obsega 3 za 26 %. Še naprej znatno vlagamo v svojo proizvodnjo, distribucijo, procese in politike, da pospešujemo zmanjševanje svojih izpustov toplogrednih plinov in delujemo v skladu s Pariškim sporazumom iz leta 2015.
Celotna podnebna strategija predstavlja vse metodologije, vključno z zmanjševanjem, odstranjevanjem in kompenzacijo.
Poleg svojih ambicioznih načrtov za zmanjševanje ter podnebnih projektov s podjetjem South Pole smo nedavno podpisali 5-letno pogodbo s podjetjem Climeworks, v kateri smo se zavezali k neposrednemu odstranjevanju CO2 iz ozračja (več o tem lahko izveste tukaj).
Dejstvo je, da vsaka podnebna rešitev (če je certificirana in dodatno koristna) šteje. Pomembno je, da se sprejme vse ukrepe in rešitve, ki so na voljo, in ne samo enega. Zato smo s podjetjem South Pole izbrali 3 ključne projekte za razširitev svojega vpliva na področja zaščite biotske raznovrstnosti, zajemanja bioplina in hidroenergije.
Huóshuĭ Small Hydropower
Title:Čista energija za oddaljene skupnosti v kitajskih gorah
Subtitle:Podobno se lahko reke v gorskih območjih Kitajske izkoriščajo za proizvodnjo elektrike za oddaljene skupnosti in širšo regijo, vendar pa so za postavitev hidroelektrarn potrebne velike investicije. Pred projektom so lokalne skupnosti živele v slabih življenjskih pogojih. V času, ko so 80 odstotkov potreb Kitajske po energiji pokrivali z elektrarnami na premog, so imele te skupnosti nezanesljiv dostop do elektrike, na regionalni ravni pa se v to ni veliko vlagalo.
Družbo Huóshuĭ Small Hydropower sestavlja 95 manjših hidroelektrarn. Male elektrarne imajo zmogljivost od 0,1 do 14 MW in vsako leto skupaj dobavijo dovolj obnovljive energije za potrebe več kot pol milijona povprečnih kitajskih domov. Ker so oblikovane po toku reke reke, imajo pri obratovanju minimalen vpliv na okolje.
- Standardi pri projektu: SocialCarbon, VCS Verified Carbon Standard
Vplivi:
- vsako leto prihranek 369.000 ton izpustov CO2 (SDG13)
- vsako leto proizvedenih 740.000 MWh obnovljive energije (SDG7)
- prispevanje k ciljem trajnostnega razvoja (SDG) 4, 8 in 5, ki so jih določili Združeni narodi.
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).
