Ethiopia is one of the poorest nations in the world with a per capita GDP of just US$619 per year. Its agricultural sector, which provides livelihoods for over 90 percent of the population, has been crippled by environmental degradation. Over-exploitation of forest resources has left less than 3% of Ethiopia’s native forests remaining. Severe erosion reduces the land’s capacity to absorb water, and has resulted in increasingly severe cycles of drought and flood.

The Sodo Forestry Project aims to protect the strongly degraded forest on the slopes of the Mount Damota and to plant new trees, supporting the long-term restoration of the ecosystem in the region.  The project focuses on active participation from local community members living around Mount Damota, who are directly responsible for the project’s implementation. Revenue generated from the project is reinvested in local development initiatives, such as education, health and environmental protection projects.

Godawari Power and Ispat Limited (GPIL) has installed a 20MW biomass based power project at Siltara, Raipur. The purpose of the project activity is to generate electricity using renewable biomass residues i.e. rice husk to reduce GHG (CO2) emissions. As biomass is a CO2 neutral fuel, the power produced by the GPIL from renewable biomass will have zero GHG emissions. Also as it is replacing fossil fuel intensive based power generation from Indian grid, thereby results in reducing emissions from such fossil fuels. 

In the project activity, biomass shall be combusted in the boiler for producing high pressure steam to generate 20MW electricity. The total annual generation of electricity from the project activity will be 126.72 GWh. The rice husk will be collected from a radius of 50km from projectsite. The project has obtained the requisite clearances and is commissioned on 01 November 2010.

Government of India has stipulated the following indicators for the sustainable development in the interim approval guidelines for Gold Standard projects. 

Social and Economic wellbeing: The project would lead to generation of direct and indirect employment and improving economic condition of the area. The project activity adds income to the farmers by providing added
economic value to the produce of farmers by procuring rice husk from the rice mills. This will definitely help the
millers to pay better price to the farmers for their paddy crop.
Since the biomass resources are to be collected and transported to the plant site from the fields, opportunities are being generated for the rural people to collect and transport the biomass residues. The rice husk transportation to site will provide employment opportunities to a number of trucks and other similar vehicles will be making trips to project site throughout the year. This will increase the transport related income and employment. The above benefits due to the project activity ensure that the project would contribute to social and economic wellbeing in the region.

Environmental wellbeing: The project activity utilises biomass potential available for power generation, which
otherwise is left un-utilised (left to decay or burnt). Thus it aids in the resource utilization and avoids pollution due to burning / dumping of biomass in nearby areas. Further, project activity replaces part of power generated in the grid using predominantly fossil fuels such as coal, lignite and gas. The project would not result in increase of GHG emissions and cause no negative impact on the environment.

Technological wellbeing: Successful implementation of this project would encourage other promoters to adopt
similar technology in the relevant sector and hence the project leads to technological wellbeing.

sustainable development in the host country.

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      Gold Standard 

Since the Kariba REDD+ (Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) project launched in 2011, more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 have been prevented from entering the atmosphere. The project has also supported the independence and well-being of local communities.

The Context
Zimbabwe has been torn apart by war, civil unrest, economic collapse and population growth. Over the past twenty years, desperate communities have delved deeper into the forests, clearing for farming and fuel for their rudimentary homes. As a result, more than a third of Zimbabwe’s majestic forests are now gone.

The Project
The Kariba project ensures that 784,987 hectares of forest and wildlife on the southern shores of Zimbabwe’s Lake Kariba are now protected. As one of the largest registered REDD+ project by area, it sits between the Chizarira, Matusadona and Mana Pools National Park (which is also a World Heritage Site), and Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia. By connecting these four national parks and eight safari reserves, this project area forms a giant biodiversity corridor, ensuring the protection of an expansive rainforest and numerous vulnerable and endangered species, including: the African elephant, lion, common hippo, lappet-faced vulture and southern ground hornbill.

The Benefits
Beyond protecting the environment, a range of activities support the independence and well-being of local communities. Better health care is implemented through improving clinic amenities, infrastructural development such as new roads and new boreholes improve daily life, while school subsidies are made available for the poorest quartile of the population. 

So far, the project has trained 233 local people to generate profit from sustainable beekeeping community gardens, beekeeping training, fire management and ecotourism create jobs and facilitate sustainable incomes that benefit the entire community.

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      VCS Verified Carbon Standard

The Zorlu 56.4 MW Wind Farm Project will contribute to local sustainable development in the project area by exerting the following effects:

Economic development: Pakistan is currently facing acute energy supply bottlenecks. The project activity is expected to generate an estimated amount of 159,010 MWh per year and will therefore contribute to a reduction in the number of black-outs and brown-outs experienced by other Pakistani grid users. This can help to improve the economic performance of other businesses connected to the grid and supports economic growth in Pakistan.

Social development: The project will offer job opportunities for local people during the construction phase and the operational period, thus creating income opportunities and contributing to a higher living standard in the region. 

Environmental development: By avoiding air pollution from fossil-fuel power plants and reducing greenhouse gas emissions significantly, the project has positive effects for the local environment and improves Pakistan’s climate balance. 

Technological development: The project activity is the first of its kind in Pakistan. By adopting foreign manufacturer wind turbines, the project initiates an important transfer of technical know-how to Pakistan, and can act as a pioneer in promoting the spread of this technology to other wind power projects in this country.

Category          Standard           
Carbon       |      Gold Standard