Microsoft Expands Forest Restoration Deal with re.green to Remove 3.5 Million Tons of CO2

Microsoft has announced an expanded partnership with Brazilian nature-based climate solutions startup re.green, focusing on forest restoration in Brazil. The new agreement will restore an additional 17,500 hectares of land across the Amazon and Atlantic Forest biomes, increasing Microsoft's carbon removal commitment by 3.5 million tons. This builds on their initial May 2024 agreement to restore 15,500 hectares and secure 3 million tons of carbon credits.

Together, these initiatives will cover an area three times the size of Paris, helping conserve biodiversity, restore natural ecosystems, and support local communities. Re.green's CEO, Thiago Picolo, emphasized the project’s commitment to "high-integrity solutions with tangible results," highlighting the opportunity for large-scale decarbonization while empowering local communities.

To date, the partnership has led to the planting of 4.4 million seedlings, involving 80 native species across 11,000 hectares of degraded pasturelands. The expanded collaboration now spans three key regions, including the Amazon Forest's eastern edge and two critical biodiversity corridors in the Atlantic Forest.

For Microsoft, this agreement is part of its ambitious goal to become carbon-negative by 2030. Brian Marrs, Senior Director of Carbon Removal and Energy at Microsoft, remarked, “Meeting our 2030 carbon negative target will require tapping into a diverse array of carbon removal pathways, and we are keen to support those nature-based solutions which go beyond sequestering CO2 to simultaneously improve social and ecological outcomes.”