Zimbabwe has been torn apart by war, civil unrest, economic collapse and population growth. In recent decades, desperate communities have delved deeper into the forests, clearing for subsistence farming and fuelwood. As a result, more than a third of Zimbabwe’s majestic forests are now gone.
Spanning nearly 785,000 hectares on the southern shores of Lake Kariba near Zimbabwe’s Zambian border, the Kariba REDD+ Project connects four national parks and eight safari reserves. This giant biodiversity corridor protects an expansive forest and numerous vulnerable and endangered species – including the African elephant, lion and southern ground hornbill.
Beyond environmental protection, Kariba REDD+ supports a range of initiatives that promote community independence and wellbeing. Better clinic amenities improve healthcare, new roads and boreholes ameliorate daily life, and school subsidies are offered to the poorest quartile of the population. The project also promotes jobs, facilitating sustainable incomes that benefit the entire region.
Sundrenched Mexico is both a holiday destination and an economic powerhouse – yet despite its abundant UV rays, the Mexican energy mix remains dominated by oil and gas. Increasing Mexico’s share of renewables, particularly solar power, is key to ensuring its continued and sustainable economic prosperity.
Located in the Baja California Sur capital of La Paz, the Aura Solar I project generates 82,000 MWh of emissions-free solar electricity every year. One of the first and largest photovoltaic projects in Latin America, it’s a key driver of Mexico’s much-needed clean energy transition and is part of the wider ‘Iniciativa Aura Solar’ – an initiative that capitalises on the country’s huge solar potential.
By displacing fossil fuel-generated energy with clean electricity, Aura Solar I significantly reduces emissions and helps to mitigate the environmental risks of exposing the delicate Gulf of California ecosystem to hydrocarbons. The solar farm also benefits communities by creating job opportunities for which local employees receive technical training.
Coal-fired power stations are a major source of electricity in Vietnam, leading to high emissions and poor air quality in the areas surrounding these energy plants. To combat this and meet growing energy demands sustainably, the Vietnamese Government plans to increase access to clean electricity, such as hydropower.
On the banks of the A Vuong River in Central Vietnam’s Quang Nam province, the Za Hung Hydropower station has a total installed capacity of 30 MW. The plant features two turbines that harness the power of running water to rotate endlessly, generating enough renewable electricity each year to power almost 20,000 local homes.
Clean hydroelectricity displaces fossil fuel-generated energy to reduce emissions, but that’s not all – local communities also enjoy better grid connection, improved infrastructure, and cleaner air. In addition, the project supports regional sustainable development by creating jobs and funding the construction of roads and houses, while a grant fund donates to households affected by severe floods.
Afognak, the second-largest island on the Kodiak Archipelago off Alaska’s southern coast, is home to wildlife such as the huge Kodiak brown bear and many fish, including rainbow trout, Arctic char, and five species of Pacific salmon. However, evidence of a pervasive timber industry scars Afognak, marring its otherwise pristine wilderness landscape.
The Afognak Forest Carbon project comprises 8,219 acres of low elevation, coastal temperate rainforests. The project sequesters carbon by protecting these forests in perpetuity, which were previously managed for timber production and subject to clear-cut logging. 15% of productive land in the area, subjected to clear-cut logging since the 1980s, and was left to regenerate naturally, with little success. The remaining unlogged areas are covered by native, old-growth 200-year-old Sitka Spruce forests, lakes, wetlands and small streams.
The Afognak Forest Carbon project enhances biodiversity, water, and all attributes of the local environment by protecting the existing forest as an intact, fully-functioning ecosystem. Project management has low impact, focussing on salvage, restoration and preventative management on small areas annually. Moreover, while the project has a 30-year crediting period, its ancient forests will be protected forever.
South Pole is a leading provider of global sustainability financing solutions and services with over 250 experts in 18 global offices. For more than a decade, South Pole has worked with a wide range of public, private and civil sector organisations to accelerate the transition to a climate-smart society. The company’s expertise covers project funding, data and advisory on sustainability risks and opportunities as well as the development of environmental commodities such as carbon and renewable energy credits. South Pole has mobilised climate-finance to over 700 projects in emission reduction, renewable energy, energy efficiency and sustainable land-use.
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*Data determined in accordance with the measurement method required by law. Since 01 September 2018 all new cars are approved in accordance with the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP), a more realistic test procedure to measure fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions. You can find more information on WLTP at www.porsche.com/wltp. From 01 January 2019, all fuel consumption figures are shown as determined in accordance with WLTP. CO₂ figures will be shown as NEDC-equivalent values, as CO₂ based taxation will continue to be based on an NEDC value (derived from WLTP) until 06 April 2020. Fuel economy and CO₂ emission figures are only intended as a means of comparing different types of vehicles tested under the same test cycle. New WLTP homologated vehicles are therefore not directly comparable with any vehicles tested under NEDC.
Values are provided for comparison only. To the extent that fuel consumption or CO₂ values are given as ranges, these do not relate to a single, individual car and do not constitute part of the offer. Extra features and accessories (attachments, tyre formats etc.) can change relevant vehicle parameters such as weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics which may result in a change in fuel consumption and CO₂ values. Additionally, weather and traffic conditions, as well as individual driving styles, can all affect the actual fuel consumption, electricity consumption, and CO₂ emissions of a car.