By simply earning Earth Rewards, you help the environment and protect the rainforest.
Through Earth Rewards, you are contributing to the important protection of areas of endangered rainforests, the biodiversity within them and the communities who call them home. The Earth Rewards program is initially supporting Trocano Araretama. This is a 1.3 million hectare avoided deforestation project in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest.
The project contributes to:
- Preventing CO2 emissions from entering the atmosphere through ensuring the avoided deforestation of the project area.
- Safeguarding the homes, histories and livelihoods of the communities living in the area.
- Providing social benefits to the communities such as clean drinking water, renewable energy supply, community centres and healthcare clinics to name a few.
- Protection of the unique and abundant biodiversity within the area that is vital to the ongoing health of the global environment.
Take a look at the Trocano Araretama website for more information.
But why is the Amazon so important?
Aside from being the only rainforest on the planet with such a high level of biodiversity, and of its size (550 million hectares – over half of the world’s total rainforest!), it is also a huge store of environmental and ecological resources for local communities as well as the planet as a whole.
Each of the 390 billion trees growing there plays a vital role in removing atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). There was once a healthy balance between the CO2 produced and the CO2 absorbed (by vegetation and the ocean). However, over the past decade, there has been an excessive increase in levels of CO2. This has been caused by burning fossil fuels, which is due to the ever-increasing levels of production and consumption.
Although we may not necessarily feel the immediate effects of rising CO2 levels, we hear about them on a daily basis. This is most noticeable in the form of increased air pollution, rising temperatures, melting ice caps and extreme weather conditions.
Its a little known fact that 60% of all existing cancer treating drugs are from natural products, and 25% of the active ingredients in today’s cancer-fighting drugs come from organisms found only in the rainforest… yet only 20% of existing plant species have been scientifically studied.
The Technical Bit…
Earth Rewards environmental benefits happen because they are matched to Natural Capital Credit (NCC) certificates.
These are fully verified high-quality carbon offsets, which have proven positive environmental benefits under ISO 14064-3 and ISO 14065 international guidelines.
NCCs represent a combination of carbon, biodiversity and socio-economic benefits which have been achieved from implementing forestry protection projects. These benefits result in a net positive impact on the environment. This consequently helps to negate the damaging effects of climate change.
As a result, all Earth Rewards are providing genuine, direct and proven positive impacts for the environment.
Each NCC represents 1 tonne of CO2e which has been avoided from entering the atmosphere. This enables them to used to help balance people’s environmental impacts. The NCCs are each divided into 1,000 so that every Earth Reward equates to 1kg CO2e.
How to reduce my carbon footprint?
Each Earth Reward you collect can help to offset carbon impacts from your footprint. Check out the lifehacks section of the Earth Rewards app which will give you hints and tips on ways you can reduce your carbon footprint. You can then use your Earth Rewards (ERZ) to offset the carbon footprint you have left.
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