Amazon

Climate change, if left unchecked, presents significant risks to biodiversity, natural systems, and human communities. Fortunately, nature, science, technology, and strong partnerships have equipped us with many of the tools we need to curb carbon emissions and tackle climate change.

Natural Climate Solutions (NCS) are activities that leverage conservation, restoration, or land management practices to increase carbon storage or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. TNC is working with Amazon to harness the potential of NCS and scale up these important tools to mitigate climate change and increase climate resilience.

Together, we are identifying, designing, and implementing strategic NCS that will be supported by Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, part of the company’s Climate Pledge commitment to become net zero carbon by 2040. The fund is focused on restoring and conserving forests, wetlands, grasslands, and peatlands around the world. In addition to funding NCS research, Amazon has invested in the following programs: 

• Family Forest Carbon Program: This program, created in partnership with the American Forest Foundation, will open up and simplify entry to the voluntary carbon credit market for millions of small family forest owners (from 30 to 2,400 acres), which creates a new income source for forest owners, bolsters rural economies, and restores and conserves vital forests. This partnership enables TNC to launch and grow the program, as well as to support our efforts to expand this work across the Appalachians and other U.S. regions. This program will be the first working model of a new approach that improves the efficiency and reduces the cost of measuring forest carbon, all while promoting sustainable forest management practices.
• Forest Carbon Co-Ops: Like the Family Forest Carbon Program, this project will help mid-sized forest owners (200 to 2,000 acres) use sustainable forest management and conservation measures to earn income through the voluntary carbon credit market. The program was launched in 2019 in Vermont in partnership with the Vermont Land Trust. With Amazon’s support, the Co-Op model will expand across climate resilient forests in the Appalachians.
• Urban Greening for Climate Resilience: TNC, Amazon, and local municipalities are collaborating to develop and implement an urban greening plan in Berlin-Charlottenburg, Germany that promotes biodiversity, reduces urban heat islands, and improves management of stormwater in the face of climate change. Using this collaborative approach, the goal is to expand this work to other German cities and to share lessons learned across Europe and around the globe. 
• Sustainable Agroforestry in Brazil:  Alongside farmers, TNC and Amazon are helping protect the Amazon Rainforest and the vital environmental services it provides by unlocking private investment in carbon. Through developing an innovative carbon finance business model, we are facilitating the expansion of cocoa agroforestry systems and restoration of forests on small farms in the Brazilian state of Pará; limiting deforestation; improving the wellbeing of farmers and local communities; and helping mitigate the negative impacts of climate change.

In addition, the AmazonSmile program enables customers to help support TNC’s mission by designating the organization as their charity of choice to receive 0.5% of all eligible purchases as a donation from the AmazonSmile Foundation.