Google has taken a major step toward its sustainability goals by purchasing carbon removal credits from the Brazilian startup Mombak, marking its first involvement in nature-based carbon projects in South America. This aligns Google with other tech giants like Microsoft in efforts to restore degraded land in the Amazon rainforest.
By 2030, Google plans to purchase 50,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from Mombak, which works with local farmers to replant native species in the Amazon. This follows Microsoft’s 2022 agreement to acquire up to 1.5 million credits from the same startup.
Although the financial terms of Google’s deal were not disclosed, Mombak previously sold credits to McLaren Racing in 2023 at an average price exceeding $50 per ton. Mombak’s CTO, Dan Harburg, welcomed Google’s participation, seeing it as a positive signal for the sector, hoping it would lead to more partnerships.
Google’s move comes as corporations intensify efforts to combat climate change, particularly as governments and businesses convene at New York’s Climate Week. Earlier this week, Meta also announced an agreement to purchase up to 3.9 million carbon offset credits from BTG Pactual’s forestry division.
Google, along with Microsoft, Meta, and Salesforce, co-founded the Symbiosis Coalition, a group committed to securing up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removal credits by 2030. While carbon offsets help reduce emissions, critics like Greenpeace argue they allow companies to avoid addressing the root causes of climate change by continuing to emit greenhouse gases.