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Microsoft has expanded its carbon removal portfolio in India through two significant agreements aimed at supporting its goal of becoming carbon-negative by 2030. The company recently signed a three-year deal to purchase nearly 37,000 metric tons of carbon removal credits from the Indian startup Alt Carbon, which utilizes enhanced rock weathering by spreading crushed basalt on farmland. This follows a separate agreement with the Indian startup Varaha to acquire over 100,000 tons of biochar-based carbon removal credits over three years, a project that also seeks to mitigate air pollution caused by agricultural waste burning.
Microsoft has secured carbon removal credits from Indian startups Alt Carbon and Varaha to support its sustainability strategy as its own greenhouse gas emissions rise due to AI and cloud expansion.
Alt Carbon’s agreement marks Microsoft’s first enhanced rock weathering deal in Asia, involving the deployment of basalt across approximately 80,000 acres of farmland.
Varaha’s biochar project aims to sequester carbon while reducing seasonal air pollution by converting cotton crop waste into soil amendments.
Both startups have implemented bespoke monitoring, reporting, and verification systems to meet Microsoft’s stringent requirements for carbon quantification.
The deals reflect a broader trend of international buyers increasingly sourcing verified carbon removal credits from emerging markets in the Global South.
It is a carbon removal technique that involves spreading crushed silicate rocks, such as basalt, on farmland to accelerate natural chemical reactions that store atmospheric carbon dioxide as stable bicarbonates.
India offers large-scale agricultural economies and significant volumes of biomass, providing opportunities for durable carbon removal projects that help Microsoft work toward its carbon-negative goal.
Biochar is a charcoal-like material produced from agricultural waste that stores carbon for long periods when added to soil, while also potentially improving soil health.
Startups must navigate complex logistics involving thousands of smallholder farmers and meet rigorous, often bespoke, monitoring and verification standards to prove their carbon removal claims.
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