InterEarth
Climate Transformation Fund • Australia
Permanently removes large amounts of CO₂
InterEarth cultivates a diverse selection of highly adapted coppicing woody plants in Australia. This biomass is periodically harvested, with the harvested biomass being encapsulated in dedicated above-ground storage chambers to ensure long-term carbon sequestration. This method offers a cost-effective and durable solution for storing significant amounts of CO₂, provided the local conditions are favorable. The project utilizes marginal lands unsuitable for food production for biomass growing, with storage chambers placed on non-arable land such as salinated areas or deserts. As an early adopter of the biomass storage method, we began supporting InterEarth in 2022 to test and evaluate the method's viability.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
CDR is one of the most crucial solutions to reach and maintain net-zero emissions and limit global warming. To counterbalance fossil emissions from the long carbon cycle, the carbon removed needs to be stored durably. While solutions for durably removing carbon are still nascent, pre-purchasing carbon removal from startups can help kickstart the sector, making it an affordable and climate-relevant solution in the future. When credits or certificates are bought, they will be retired, meaning they cannot be resold and will not be counted as financial instruments.
Terrestrial Storage of Biomass
The process of storing woody biomass, for example tree branches, in a dry or oxygen-free environment to stop its decomposition, allows to store the carbon for up to 100 years.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
Canada + 1 countries
Backwater introduces an innovative, shallow-depth geological storage method for dissolved CO₂. This novel approach expands geographic accessibility, enabling co-location of CO2 capture and underground storage. By eliminating transport and reducing well costs, Backwater makes smaller projects cost-effective and unlocks untapped CDR potential in storage-constrained regions.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
South Africa
CHAI will work on the high impact project of transitioning a portfolio of hospitals in South Africa's Western Cape Province to renewable energy. This could be a high impact measure that is currently not occurring due to the limited capacity of the department of health and because of bureaucratic hurdles to innovative financial and energy contracts. The project has the potential to reduce emissions by hundreds of thousands of tons, and leverages CHAI's extensive experience in health sector procurement and innovative finance.
Durable carbon removal (CDR)
Tanzania
This project develops a mobile app for regreening techniques like Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). The app delivers real-time, location-specific advice directly to farmers' phones. This approach reduces intervention costs by eliminating the need for in-person visits to every location. We already support Justdiggit’s regular work since 2021, and now added this project because it builds on proven FMNR methods, increasing cost-efficiency and potential for rapid scaling in dry landscapes.