?? Here's the latest from the VCM

Welcome back to our bi-weekly newsletter. We have a great mix of news to share with you, including a podcast?and a story on Indigenous rights told through graphics. Elsewhere in the newsletter, you can read about Respira's trip to Pakistan to visit our flagship portfolio project, Delta Blue Carbon, and catch up with an insightful new report on the costs of avoiding deforestation.

There's a lot to read, but before you do,?we would like to wish you a happy Earth Day for tomorrow - it's is an opportunity for us all to focus on the planet and recommit ourselves to our green goals.?

Newsflash

• To start off this week's Newsflash, see this piece in Forbes from a number of scientists who write that, in an uphill struggle to protect our forests, we must use the best available science.?
• Next up, Reuters reports positively on blue carbon, highlighting the many benefits these natural climate solutions offer coastal communities.
• The Environmental Defense Fund. writes that areas with low deforestation rates must not be overlooked when it comes to climate finance.
• For fans of audio, LSEG Sustainable Growth?interviews Sheri Hickok, the CEO of Climate Impact Partners, for its podcast on meeting sustainability goals.
• Carbon Brief shares a Q&A on the EU’s new deforestation laws and considers the implications for biodiversity.
• Project Syndicate defends nature-based carbon markets, arguing that investing in the conservation and protection of natural resources is vital for the future of the planet.
• Finally, Grist publishes a graphic story, visually highlighting instances of violence inflicted upon Indigenous groups in the name of conservation. It calls for more assurance that the 30x30 biodiversity targets will not lead to a?mass land grab.

Don't miss this report...

Financing the Transition: Supplementary Report on the Costs of Avoiding Deforestation

The Energy Transitions Commission has released a report on financing our much-needed transition away from deforestation.

It reports the economic costs of avoiding deforestation, estimating that we must allocate, on average,?$3.5 trillion every year, between now and 2050.

Already this decade, around $300 billion a year should be directed to low and middle-income countries.

But the funding directed to forest protection does not come close. At present, it totals only $2-3 billion US dollars per year.

The report suggests that financial incentives are needed. For instance, grant payments could support the phase out of coal, the reduction of deforestation and the development of carbon dioxide removal technologies.

News from the field

Find out the latest news from our flagship portfolio projects

Blaston Farm: Agriculture post-Brexit

Our Advisor and project partner, Hylton Murray-Philipson, was interviewed for the Daily Express. He discussed the challenges and opportunities of post-Brexit farming and his work at Blaston Farm on soil sequestration. He shared some insights on the best soil types of carbon capture:

“The particular situation in which I find myself was heavily degraded clay soil and that happens to be the best situation for accessing carbon markets because clay soil can sequester much more carbon than light sandy soil."

Video: Makame Savannah: Carbon finance and the community

We are proud to share the work of one our flagship portfolio projects, Makame Savannah, on our YouTube channel. Developed by Carbon Tanzania, this project works to conserve valuable Tanzanian forests and to return carbon finance to local people. Head to our channel to watch Operations Manager for the Makame Wildlife Management Area, Melayeki Njuldu, discuss the impacts the project has brought for the climate, people and biodiversity.

Respira's news

NEW BLOG: Respira in Pakistan?

At the beginning of March, two members of our team were fortunate enough to visit Karachi – a sprawling microcosm of Pakistan and home to more than 20 million people. This was no tourist trip; CEO, Ana Haurie and Director of Portfolio Management, Chris Villiers, were touching base with one of our flagship portfolio projects:?Delta Blue Carbon. Read about their experiences and see pictures from Pakistan in our latest blog post.

Dates for the diary

• The Sustainable Apparel and Textiles Conference, organised by Innovation Forum, will be held in Amsterdam between the 25th and 26th April.
• On the 26th April, it is the Bloomberg Green Summit, held both in?New York and Online.
• The Future of Food conference is scheduled to take place in Amsterdam between the 3rd and 4th of May. Organised by Innovation Forum and hosting an array of distinguished speakers, this is not one to miss.?

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Respira International is an impact-driven carbon finance business. Respira’s high-quality carbon credits allow corporations and financial institutions to mitigate their environmental impact. Respira channels private capital into climate solutions ensuring long-term relationships with trusted carbon project developers that enable its clients to use predominantly nature-based solutions to build sustainable, climate-positive businesses and portfolios. Respira’s team combines deep and varied experience working in global financial markets with a robust understanding of carbon project development in leading international conservation organisations. Respira operates with an innovative offtake and profit share model which reinvests back into local communities.?