Latest news with #Silvania
Time Magazine
20-05-2025
- Business
- Time Magazine
Suzan Craig Dunand and Marco Dunand
When Suzan Craig Dunand and Marco Dunand signed the Giving Pledge last year, the couple announced their intention to leverage the majority of their wealth to address biodiversity loss and climate change. 'If the planet becomes uninhabitable for humans, then there's no other more important issue,' says Marco, the co-founder and CEO of energy trading firm Mercuria Energy Group. In 2022, the Dunands co-founded the nonprofit Villars Institute, which works with entrepreneurs, educators, researchers, and students to help drive the transition to a net-zero, nature-positive economy and come up with innovative solutions to counter climate change. 'Our focus on intergenerational education is vital because young people have been handed so many concerns, but not necessarily the tools to help address them,' says Suzan, founder and CEO of eco lab Tahi. 'The Institute is also very much about interdisciplinary collaboration, so taking people who normally don't work together and getting them to collaborate.' The couple, who split their time between New Zealand and Switzerland, are also spearheading Silvania, an investment platform to help restore native forests and improve biodiversity worldwide. So far, the initiative has conserved 29 million hectares in more than 20 countries, but its goal for 2025 is saving Brazilian rainforests. In its first-ever major campaign, Silvania will match every metric ton purchased by a Brazilian state forest protection program with $1 of funding, up to $100 million.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Companies join forces to raise $1.5 billion for Amazon protection: 'The difference between success and failure'
Two of the largest environmental nonprofits and a carbon market project developer have collaborated to launch a conservation initiative that will help preserve the Amazon rainforest. Silvania, a $500 million nature and biodiversity investment vehicle backed by Swiss trading company Mercuria, initiated its first major campaign in conjunction with Conservation International and The Nature Conservancy, and it's called the Race to Belém. It was announced in late January during the World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos and hopes to raise $1.5 billion from the private sector ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil, in November. According to a news release, the Race to Belém will work with "Indigenous peoples, local and traditional communities, farmers, as well as state and federal government to reduce deforestation at scale." It will sell jurisdictional reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, or JREDD+, credits. The Brazilian state of Tocantins has already established a JREDD+ program and will be the first to scale thanks to the Race to Belém. Additionally, Silvania has committed up to $100 million to jump-start the program by matching every tonne purchased by a Brazilian state with a dollar in upfront capital. The initiative will deploy the capital immediately and roll out additional phases over the next three to five years. Race to Belém CEO Keith Tuffley told Reuters that prices for the carbon credits will be negotiated with prospective investors, leading to potentially hundreds of millions of tonnes in carbon savings. "The consensus is that private sector engagement is now more critical than ever. The urgency to address climate challenges has only increased, and the Race to Belém highlights this by calling for transformative private investments," Tuffley said. Though the legitimacy of carbon markets has been questioned, their goal is to allow companies or individuals to purchase carbon credits from entities that will offset their planet-warming gas production by reducing, sequestering, and avoiding pollution. Do you think America does a good job of protecting its natural beauty? Definitely Only in some areas No way I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The Amazon is one of the most vital ecosystems in the world, harboring 30% of Earth's species and holding 20% of all freshwater. It also acts as a carbon sink for the planet and is a source of many foods and pharmaceuticals. However, deforestation has destroyed over 54.2 million hectares in the last two decades, and continued degradation could result in severe repercussions both regionally and globally. While the Amazon has a long road to recovery, restoration efforts by government officials and researchers have helped mitigate the years of abuse the rainforest has suffered. "High-integrity jurisdictional credits offer a foundational tool for flipping the economic script at the scale we need, providing critical resources for Indigenous peoples and local communities who steward these lands," Conservation International CEO M. Sanjayan said. "We have 10 months until we unite in the heart of the Amazon at a defining moment for people and the planet, and upfront capital will be the difference between success and failure," The Nature Conservancy CEO Jennifer Morris added. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
