Vale has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions and neutralizing residual emissions from its direct and indirect operations, that is, those under its responsibility, by 2050. This major challenge is
supported by two complementary axes: reducing emissions through technological solutions; and offsetting, via Nature-Based Solutions. In the technology axis, we will invest up to US$1.4 billion to reduce our emissions by 33.1 billion by 2030. But to achieve zero emissions we will need to offset, and that is where the second axis comes in. In this decade, we will protect and restore an additional 500,000 hectares of forests, in addition to what we have already helped to conserve in the world – almost 1 million hectares.
Our intention is to go beyond the goal of planting trees. We want carbon that involves the conservation, recovery and improvement of the living conditions of those who live in forests. This is what we call “impact carbon”. After all, zeroing emissions not only contributes to the balance of the planet’s climate, but also is an opportunity to support the development of communities. And this connects with our purpose of creating and sharing value.
Of the total 500,000 hectares, 100,000 correspond to the recovery of degraded areas in which the company, through Fundo Vale and a network of partners, is promoting and investing in businesses with a positive socio-environmental impact. Since last year, Fundo Vale has been implementing pilot models with different forest arrangements, some of them in the Amazon. The goal is to recover 6,000 hectares by December, generating more than a thousand jobs. The investment amounts to R$100 million. The most successful business models will be scaled up with a view to achieving the goal of 100,000 hectares of forest area. The other 400,000 hectares are linked to the protection of existing forest areas. Last year, we entered into partnerships with four Conservation Units, which total 52,000 hectares. This year, the forecast is to reach just over 100,000 hectares.
We are also studying ways to reconcile conservation actions with the carbon credit market. REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) projects are being evaluated so that they can be scaled up through partnerships with public, private and philanthropic agents – especially in the Amazon. In this perspective, we recently took an important step by launching PrevisIA, a platform for
artificial intelligence with the ability to prevent future areas threatened by deforestation in the Amazon. The initiative is the result of a partnership between Fundo Vale, Microsoft and the NGO Imazon.
By Eduardo Bartolomeo
President of Vale
