Chevrolet’s Carbon Credits Purchase to Cut 40K Tons of CO2
The Great Plains in Gascoyne, North Dakota
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Chevrolet announced last week that it has purchased carbon credits from 11,000 acres of North Dakota prairies in order to eliminate about 40,000 tons of annual carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere.
According to US Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the emissions being saved by Chevrolet’s carbon credits purchase are roughly equivalent to what would be achieved by taking 5,000 vehicles off the road.
Despite the fact that the program has existed since October 2013, National Geographic notes that Chevrolet’s carbon credits purchase is the first in the North Dakota Prairie Pothole project.
“The idea behind this project is to create a market that rewards landowners for stewardship, where they’re not just producing agricultural products but producing environmental benefits,” said Robert Bonnie, USDA Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment.
Bonnie added that the hope is that Chevrolet’s groundbreaking purchase will grant the Prairie Pothole project the credibility necessary to inspire other major corporations to get involved.
Chevrolet’s purchase provides the North Dakota ranchers who own the land a stipend that ensures that the acreage is put into easement and saved from agricultural operations that would otherwise create carbon emissions.
The second 2016 Chevy Volt teaser
©GM
Chevrolet’s next-generation all-electric Volt was recently teased during the Los Angeles Auto Show ahead of its NAIAS debut this January. The current-gen Volt was named KBB’s Electric/Hyrbid Car Best Buy of 2015 earlier this month.
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