Zurich, 17 December 2014 South Pole Carbon today presented the Carbon Neutral Certificate for World Resources Forum 2014, held in Peru in October this year. The certificate certifies that the almost 6,000 tons of emissions were offset to the Avoided Deforestation project in Zimbabwe.

The accompanying report explains that “it does not really matter where on the planet the greenhouse gas emissions are released, nor where they are reduced. What matters is that the total amount of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions is reduced. Therefore, it makes sense to lessen emissions in one place for emissions that were created in another place: this process is what we call offsetting. To become climate neutral, greenhouse gas emissions that could not be reduced thanks to climate-friendly measures can be counterbalanced through so-called “carbon offsets”. Carbon offsets are quantified and sold in metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) and reflect reductions in GHG emissions achieved at another location by renew-able energy or energy efficiency projects.”

The reported emissions of WRF2014 (5.886 tCO2e) are offset by South Pole Carbon Asset Management Ltd. following emission reduction credits: VCUs from Avoided Deforestation in Zimbabwe.

Besides reducing the amount of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere, carbon offsetting can also deliver
added benefits at the project site, such as employment opportunities, community development
programmes and training and education for local stakeholders. In order to ensure the quality and
integrity of carbon offsets, a reliable program of standards, verification processes and registries have
been put in place.

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