Microsoft signs 1.4M tonne carbon removal agreement for US mine land reforestation

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🗞️ Driving the news: Microsoft has signed a 1.4 million tonne carbon removal agreement with Living Carbon to support reforestation of 25,000 acres of degraded mine lands in the Appalachian region
• The project combines high-integrity carbon credit generation with ecological restoration, addressing both climate and community resilience

🔭 The context: Living Carbon, a public benefit company, targets former coal mine sites — long-standing environmental liabilities — with science-backed reforestation and soil rehabilitation
• Microsoft (see sustainability performance) continues to expand its portfolio of carbon removal solutions in pursuit of its goal to become carbon negative by 2030
• This agreement is part of a growing shift towards nature-based removals verified with advanced tech protocols

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Reforesting post-mining land offers a high-impact, scalable nature-based solution with multiple co-benefits: carbon sequestration, biodiversity restoration, and improved soil and water systems
• These projects not only draw down CO₂ but also address regional environmental degradation, making them valuable tools for equitable climate action

⏭️ What's next: Carbon credits will be verified by Isometric’s Reforestation Protocol, which uses advanced lifecycle and baseline modelling to ensure scientific credibility
• As demand for verifiable carbon removal grows, this project could serve as a replicable model across millions of degraded acres in the U.S. Microsoft’s move signals increased corporate appetite for high-quality, nature-based offsets with tangible environmental and social benefits.

💬 One quote: “We’re proud to be working with Microsoft to advance high-quality reforestation… not only for carbon removal, but also for restoring ecosystems and supporting the return of these lands to productivity,” — Maddie Hall, CEO and Co-founder of Living Carbon

📈 One stat: The agreement covers 1.4 million tonnes of CO₂ removal — equivalent to eliminating the annual emissions of nearly 305,000 U.S. passenger vehicles

See on illuminem's Data Hub™ the sustainability performance of Microsoft, and its peers Google, Apple, and Amazon

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