- The organization presented the results of the annual carbon footprint calculation for its Lima office.
- The Lima office reported that it will implement measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions every year until its activities in Peru become carbon neutral.
- It will also compensate the emissions generated through support to projects in Peru that have significant environmental and social impact.
Lima, September 27, 2019. This month, the World Bank acquired 455 carbon credits in favor of the REDD+ Parque Cordillera Azul Project to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2eq) generated by the implementation of the activities of its Lima Office in 2018. The credits granted are the equivalent of 27 hectares of protected forests, an area similar to 27 soccer fields, and which compensate for emissions similar to those emitted by 97 passenger vehicles circulating for a year.
This measure will also contribute to the preservation of more than 1.3 million hectares of Amazon rainforest – a critical habitat for 28 species of high conservation value and a hydric reserve of 45 microbasins – as well as to improve the quality of life of 5,000 families and 34 communities.
“Climate change adaptation and natural resource management are fundamental pillars of our work in Peru. Accordingly, we should start with the example of our workplaces and homes. This is why we have established a target to reduce the carbon footprint of our office by 10 percent every year and to compensate for the remainder until our operations become carbon neutral,” said Alberto Rodriguez, World Bank Director for Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru.
In 2018, 32 percent of World Bank Group financing around the world was allocated to addressing climate change. With a record USD 20.5 billion, the organization continues to increase its support to developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen resistance to the impacts of climate change.
Greenhouse gas emissions generate environmental and social costs that create risks and affect the economies of the countries. Climate change mitigation and adaptation measures are crucial for sustainable development and can result in important economic benefits. The transition to resilient, low-carbon economies could bring global economic benefits totaling USD 26 billion by 2030, according to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.
