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THE CLIMATE PROTECTION PROJECTS

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Solar panels for improving education & quality of life

As about half of the Ethiopian and Kenyan residents are without electricity they have to solely rely on the sun as a source of light. This limits productivity to the daylight hours. Up to now, kerosene lamps have been the only way out. However, they cause a lot of soot, which is harmful both to health and the climate. If people stay inside after nightfall and use kerosene lamps, they are exposed to the harmful particles for many hours.
With its partner foundation Solar Energy, myclimate would like to change this. They equip households with financially affordable solar home systems. The photovoltaic cells on the house roofs supply LED lamps with electricity and replace the smoking kerosene lamps. The sunlight-operated LEDs save around 14,000 tons of CO2 compared with kerosene-fired lamps.

What?

Solar panels with energy storage

Who?

myclimate

Where?

Ethiopia and Kenya

As about half of the Ethiopian and Kenyan residents are not connected to the electricity grid; they have to rely on the sun as light source. This is limited as days are short in tropical countries. Up to now, kerosene lamps have been the primary light source to combat darkness. However, they cause a lot of soot, which is harmful both to health and the climate. If people want to stay inside in the evening, they are exposed to soot particles for many hours.

 

The project is supported by the campaign "Light for Education". With this campaign, the foundation Solarenergie establishes a local solar trade that is self-sustaining. Since 2008, ten solar centres have already been founded in Ethiopia and Kenya, and around 100 solar technicians have been trained. This not only creates jobs, but alleviates poverty as well as climate-damaging CO2. The CLIMATE BET supports this great project.

With its partner foundation Solar Energy, myclimate would like to change this. They equip households with financially affordable solar home systems. The photovoltaic cells on the house roofs supply LED lamps with electricity and replace the harmful kerosene lamps. The sunlight-operated LEDs save around 14,000 tons of CO2 compared with kerosene-fired lamps.

myclimate

myclimate Germany is a non-profit offset provider and a 100% subsidiary of the myclimate foundation in Switzerland. myclimate implements a wide range of effective carbon offset projects: from the expansion of renewable energies to efficiency technologies and reforestation measures. With a diverse offering of services, including consulting, myclimate supports companies in reducing their carbon footprint strategically and sustainably. myclimate is also involved in the area of climate protection education. With the help of close partnerships, the non-profit climate protection organisation inspires thousands of people of all ages to become active in climate protection themselves. In the project "Solar Panels for Education and Quality of Life", myclimate works together with the foundation Solarenergie, based in Freiburg.

Cooking facilities and clean drinking water

With this project, the Klima-Kollekte supports the manufacture of energy-efficient cooking stoves produced and distributed in Rwanda. Using these, the demand for firewood and coal is reduced by around 45 %. This counteracts deforestation and reduces CO2 - by around 25,000 tons a year for all users combined. This climate protection project primarily helps the poorest households, mostly women and children, who suffer greatly from indoor air pollution. The project participants will also recieve water filters, which will further improve their health situation by providing clean drinking water to them.

What?

Energy-efficient cooking stoves

Who?

Klima-Kollekte

Where?

Rwanda

People in the southern province of Rwanda usually cook on open fires with wood or coal. However, the firewood consumption is a burden to the tree population as well as the local nature in general. Furthermore, having to search for raw materials consumes a lot of time and energy. The burning of coal and wood entails intensive smoke emissions that are harmful to the environment and people. After all, the fireplaces are often located inside the houses. Mainly women and children are exposed to indoor pollution - a great strain on the respiratory tract.

The energy-efficient cooking stoves also benefit the environment. Households need 45% fewer firewood and coal resources to use the environmentally friendly alternative. 6,000 of the most impoverished families will receive such a stove. Together, these families save around 25,000 tons of CO2 per year. And their health risk is dramatically reduced. In addition, they will receive water filters along with their cooking stoves, enabling them to improve their drinking water. The CLIMATE BET supports this impactful project.

The Klima-Kollekte aims to solve these problems with energy-efficient stoves. The organization "Rural Development Interdiocesan Service" (RDIS) is responsible for the on-site implementation of the project. The local population is closely involved: Local cooperatives build the cooking stoves. Local experts set them up and maintain them together with the local families participating in the project. The cooking stoves thus actively contribute to poverty reduction in the southern province of Rwanda. 

Klima-Kollekte

Klima-Kollekte is a non-profit limited liability company, which was founded in 2011 as a carbon emission compensation fund of Christian churches. The compensation payments are invested explicitly in projects located in developing and emerging countries. They reduce local poverty by empowering women, protecting health, and providing additional income while also reducing carbon emissions. The scientific monitoring is carried out by the Research Institute of the Evangelical Studies Association (Forschungsstätte der Evangelischen Studiengemeinschaft e.V.  FEST). The Rwanda project is carried out together with "Rural Development Interdiocesan Service" (RDIS); an organisation that promotes sustainable development in four dioceses of the Anglican Church of Rwanda: Butare, Cyangugu, Kigeme, and Shyogwe. Local parishioners are mobilized to develop their community and thus to lift themselves out of poverty.

Reforestation for the restoration of rainforest vegetation

On the many cleared areas in Kibale National Park in Uganda, the fast-growing elephant grass prevents the rainforest from regenerating. Of course, the carbon sink capacity of a fully-fledged rainforest exceeds the carbon storage capacity of elephant grass by far. This is why PRIMAKLIMA joins forces with the local population engaging in rainforest reforestation. Within the scope of this project, degraded areas are being reforested. Over 60 year duration of the project, this will bind around 4.5 million tons of CO2 and allow rainforest vegetation and biodiversity to return. A project’s success depends on looking after the younger trees and implementing anti-wildfire measures. Thus, the project will create training and income opportunities for the local population. 

What?

Reforestation

Who?

PRIMAKLIMA

Where?

Uganda

While large areas of the Kibale National Park in Western Uganda have been cleared providing the ideal conditions for meter-high elephant grass, it has left poor conditions for the rainforest vegetation that formerly dominated the region. The native rainforest vegetation, however, binds much more carbon dioxide than the elephant grass. Therefore, PRIMAKLIMA reforests the area – in collaboration with the local population. The reforested vegetation removes around 4.5 million tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere over the entire project period of 60 years. At the same time, the forests contribute to biodiversity. Taking care of the young trees and effective fire protection are important aspects of the project’s success.

 

Due to the high social value for the inhabitants of the region, the project enjoys a very high level of acceptance. They are all ambassadors of the forest and thus foundation for its long-term protection

 

For local people, the project offers various training and work opportunities. Fair incomes create new perspectives in a region characterized by poverty. Many families in the surrounding area are self-reliant small hold farmers. Because elephants often destroy their fields, the project also develops suitable protection measures. For instance, project funds have financed elephant protection trenches. Another approach is to plant tea plants on the Park’s borders as wild animals dislike the taste of the plants’ leaves.  

PRIMAKLIMA

Forests play a crucial role in climate protection as CO2-storage and CO2-sinks. PRIMAKLIMA has therefore been supporting forest projects on four continents as a non-profit association for almost 30 years. In addition to climate protection and nature conservation, PRIMAKLIMA also aims for social and economic co-benefits. The participation of the local population is an integral part of the reforestation concept of PRIMAKLIMA.

 

Small biogas plants

With this project, atmosfair and AEPC enable the construction of small biogas plants in rural Nepal and thereby ensure environmentally friendly energy supply. Instead of firewood, biogas can be used for cooking. This significantly reduces indoor pollution and the health risks associated with it. The same applies to greenhouse gas emissions – around 488,000 fewer tons of CO2 per year through this project alone

What?

Small biogas plants

Who?

atmosfair

Where?

Nepal

In rural Nepal, wood is the most essential energy source, but the resulting forest degradation has wide-ranging consequences. Landslides resulting from increased erosion levels are a consequence of forest degradation, because tree roots are important for soil stability, especially so in mountain areas. The Nepalese people use wood for cooking and heating – a health risk, especially for women and children who spend much time inside. Burning the wood produces smoke, which seriously harms the respiratory tract.

The small biogas plants thus improve the families' health, provide a solution against soil erosion, and create jobs for the construction and maintenance of the plants. They also have a superior climate balance. Together, families can save a total of 480,000 tons of carbon emissions per year. To make the biogas plants affordable, the project partner AEPC provides a nationwide subsidy programme. It further provides access to an extensive network of microfinance institutions, which cover 80% of the plants' financing.

 

Under the "Biogas Support Programme"- Nepal (BSP-Nepal), the project participants build small biogas plants for households engaged in livestock farming. The constant production of manure is a prerequisite for operating a biogas plant. When the manure ferments, gas is produced and directly connected to the families' gas cookers via pipes. Also, toilets can be connected to the systemThe residues from the plant that are no longer suitable for gas production, can be used as fertiliser for the field. The majority of people in rural Nepal are self-reliant small-hold farmers and depend on good harvest yields.

atmosfair

atmosfair gGmbH is a non-profit climate protection organisation founded in 2004 and based in Berlin. The sole shareholder of atmosfair is the foundation Zukunftsfähigkeit. atmosfair develops and operates climate protection projects in the global south by expanding renewable energies and energy efficiency technologies. In addition, it advises and accompanies institutions and companies on the transformation path towards decarbonised economies and offers environmentally conscious people the opportunity to compensate for unavoidable CO2. The central topic of atmosfair is the increasing burden of air traffic on the global climate. The leading organisation for the project "Small biogas plants in Nepal" is the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). The governmental organisation was established in 1996 under the Nepalese Ministry of Science and Technology. Its main objective is to develop and disseminate renewable energy in Nepal.

Sustainable tree planting & biochar

Since 2014, the concept of Fairventures in Borneo, Indonesia, is aimed at two ends simultaneously: on one hand they sustainably reforest destroyed rainforest areas and on the other, they protect the virgin forests against the palm oil industry. Importantly, this concept is implemented in collaboration with the local people as they should be able to live both from and with the forests. Since 2014, the model project has planted 1 million trees and created a sustainable economic basis for over 1,000 farmers. Now the next step will consist of spreading this approach across the country. With your contribution, 5 more trees will be planted and raised.

In addition, 20% of the donation goes to an innovative project for the production and agricultural application of certified biochar in France, Sweden, Austria and Germany. This permanently removes CO2 from the air and at the same time increases e.g. soil fertility.

What?

Reforestation & biochar

Who?

Fairventures Worldwide & Carbonfuture

Where?

Borneo & Europe

Palm oil plantations and illegal logging have left scorched earth on Borneo. Fairventures has therefore launched the project "One Million Trees for Borneo" with the support of the Federal Environment Ministry of Germany in 2014. In 5 years, over 1 million trees have been planted. In addition to absorbing a lot of CO2, the project has given over 1,000 farmers an economic perspective for the future. If the local population can generate sustainable income from the forest, they have an incentive to protect it

The planting of the first million trees was just the beginning. Now Fairventures aims to successfully replicate and amplify the pilot project and put an end to palm oil farming and slash-and-burn clearing of forests. Fairventures has therefore set itself a new goal: 100 million trees will be planted on destroyed areas. This corresponds to an additional 2 million tons of absorbed CO2. The CLIMATE BET supports Fairventures in achieving this ambitious goal.

The project is based on a modern agroforestry concept with fast growing pioneer trees. It only takes the trees between 2 to 3 years to grow a closed leaf cover. The cultivation of catch crops such as fruit, vegetables, peanuts, or cocoa generates quick additional income. Adapted and diverse plant species increase soil quality and biodiversity.

This reforestation project is complemented by an innovative project, certified to high standards, for the recovery of COfrom the atmosphere using biochar from residues. The biochar is produced in France, Austria and Germany in modern pyrolysis plants in accordance with EBC guidelines. It is used in agriculture and landscaping, among other things, as an additive in stable litter, animal feed, slurry or compost and is fully documented by Carbonfuture. This ensures that the carbon sequestration sold can also be guaranteed over 100 years. 

Fairventures GmbH & Carbonfuture GmbH

For many years now, the non-profit GmbH Fairventures has been a successful and engaged pioneer for the large-scale reforestation of degraded land areas. The "pragmatic visionaries" link climate protection to the preservation of species-rich forests. At the same time, they create sustainable economic foundations together with the local people. Fairventures focuses on the entire value chain: from seeding and reforestation to wood processing, consumption, and recycling.

Carbonfuture GmbH was founded in 2020 in Freiburg and certifies and mediates plant carbon-based carbon sinks. The aim of the young company is to advance the rapid dissemination of this technical carbon sink with further benefits for agriculture by guaranteeing high environmental quality.
 

CO2-Zertifikate

Coal and gas fired power plants and other carbon dioxide emitting industrial plants in Europe may only emit as much CO2 as they have CO2 pollution rights (EEA). They are obliged to do so under the European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Compensators* buy up such pollution rights. However, instead of using the associated right to emit, each certificate purchased by Compensators* is permanently withheld from the carbon market and thus reduces emissions within the EU by one ton. The available pollution rights are becoming scarcer, which increases their price. This makes it worthwhile for companies to invest more quickly in carbon-saving technologies. One EUA decommissioned means one ton less CO2 in the EU!

What?

Pollution rights in the European Emissions Trading Scheme

Who?

Compensators*

Where?

Europe

Within the European Union (EU), particularly energy-intensive industries, may only emit a pre-determined amount of CO2. The respective upper limit is set by the European Commission. It decreases from year to year in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the long term. 
 

Compensators* are now making the certificates available to everyone , in other words, to you and me. This is how it works: Compensators* buy up pollution certificates with the help of donations. They do so not in order to use the associated right to emit, but instead to permanently withhold the purchased certificates from carbon markets. This means that the industry has fewer certificates at its disposal. As such, industry can emit less and must therefore reduce their emissions even more. Because demand and supply determine the price of the allowances – in fact, your donation to Compensators* would indeed increase the demand for allowances – they become more expensive for industry. So not only would your donation help avoid CO2, but it would also increase the incentive to invest in climate-friendly technologies.

To make it easier to regulate the industries' emissions, the EU has created the European Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS). Companies that (have to) participate in the EU ETS need pollution allowances (EUAs - European Emission Allowances) in order to emit CO2. These allowances are either allocated to companies for free, auctioned, or bought on the secondary market exchanges. Each certificate gives its holder the right to emit exactly 1 ton of CO2.

 

Compensators*

In 2006, scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research founded the non-profit association Compensators* e.V. In contrast to other compensation service providers, the Compensators* approach aims to initiate CO2 reductions in Europe itself. To this end, the association buys pollution rights from the European Emissions Trading Scheme, thereby reducing the maximum amount of CO2 that European companies are allowed to emit.