Space for Giants is carbon neutral for 2020
We are pleased to share that we are carbon neutral for 2020.
Image by Raissa Lara Lutolf Fasel
In February this year, we announced that we had become the first Africa-based conservation organisation to achieve both carbon neutrality and participate in the UN’s Climate Neutral Now Initiative having offset our 2019 carbon emissions.
What is the UN’s Climate Neutral Now Initiative?
The Climate Neutral Now Initiative is one of several initiatives launched by the UNFCCC secretariat to increase climate action. The Initiative encourages and supports organizations and other interested stakeholders to act now in order to achieve a climate neutral world by 2050 as enshrined in the Paris Agreement.
Why is going carbon neutral important to us?
As an organisation, we acknowledge our responsibility in limiting our carbon emissions wherever possible and to offset those that are currently unavoidable in order to continue the work that we do and invest in the protection and restoration of natural spaces. These natural spaces help alleviate climate change causes and effects through mitigation and adaptation measures included in their management. By investing in not only their protection and restoration but offsetting our own impact, we are ensuring that these areas survive.
We are by no means perfect and will continue to be transparent with our partners and followers as we go on this journey together.
“Our hope is that by being open and honest
about our carbon emissions, we will encourage
other conservation organisations to do the same.
Only by coming together as a collective,
will we be able to make a difference”.
How does it work?
Space for Giants has been awarded the Gold level in two of three areas measured as part of the UN Climate Neutral Now Initiative. The awarding system is based on a series of measurements, reductions and contributions profiled as part of the carbon assessment. A Gold standard is awarded to those who have used an impartial third party organisation to measure their carbon footprint and made a full contribution to offset their overall yearly emissions. We are very proud to be taking these steps in order to accept accountability and enact change.
Once we have measured our emissions, we buy verified carbon offsets where the funding goes towards protecting and restoring natural spaces as well as supporting local citizens who rely on them.
Image by Timothy K
Why are these natural spaces so critical in the fight against climate change?
The restoration and protection of these natural spaces are critical to our collective future and key areas of our work at Space for Giants. These natural spaces - with biodiversity spanning rainforests to deserts, miombo forests to savannahs - are part of complex planetary systems providing clean air, water, soil, crop pollination, carbon sequestration and hold the keys to climate resiliency and sustainable development.
Even as an increasing number of countries and organisations set themselves emissions reductions or even net zero targets, carbon emissions will continue into the foreseeable future. At the same time, countries and companies recognise that natural landscapes and the people living in and around are key stakeholders in the preservation of the critical role landscapes play in mitigating climate change, with associated benefits to biodiversity conservation and local citizens.
“It is incredibly important to us to continue to do what we can as a community, as a team and as an organisation to ensure that we help protect and restore vital landscapes that support people and wildlife that call these areas home areas. As an organisation we are working to put in place measures that limit our negative effect on the environment and this is just the start”.
We look forward to taking you on this journey with us. Together we can build #AHealthyEarth
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