Microsoft signs groundbreaking 7MT carbon credits deal with U.S.-based Chestnut Carbon

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🗞️ Driving the news: Microsoft has signed a long-term deal with Chestnut Carbon to acquire 7 million metric tons of carbon credits
• These credits will come from afforestation and reforestation projects in the Southern U.S., covering 60,000 acres
• This agreement builds on their initial partnership from December 2023

🔭 The context: Chestnut Carbon specializes in nature-based carbon removal through tree planting and land restoration
• The project will plant 35 million native hardwood and softwood trees, improving biodiversity and carbon sequestration
• Microsoft continues to expand its carbon removal strategy, balancing short- and long-term storage solutions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Nature-based carbon removal supports biodiversity, water conservation, and ecosystem restoration
• Unlike carbon avoidance projects, Chestnut’s initiative ensures durable and measurable carbon sequestration
• This large-scale investment aligns with Microsoft's goal to achieve carbon negativity by 2030

⏭️ What's next: Microsoft plans to scale Chestnut’s Afforestation, Reforestation, and Revegetation (ARR) portfolio to 500,000 acres by 2030
• The project is expected to remove 100 million metric tons of CO₂ over the next 50 years
• This initiative strengthens Microsoft’s sustainability leadership while driving private capital into ecological restoration

💬 One quote: "This agreement with Chestnut Carbon is another positive step towards Microsoft’s goal to become carbon negative by 2030." — Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Energy & Carbon Removal at Microsoft

📈 One stat: Microsoft contracted over 5 million metric tons of carbon removal in 2023, with 80% of its 2024 carbon credits coming from BECCS projects

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