The World Congress on Agroforestry will be carbon neutral, even though it is attracting over 800 participants from all over the world. Most participants will be flying to Delhi. Experts in the headquarters of the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) have estimated that the carbon emissions of the Congress will be about 900 tonnes. ICRAF has purchased carbon credits to offset that amount of carbon from the Carbon Neutral Company, which has issued the Congress with Carbon Neutral Certificate.

This carbon neutrality comes on the heels of ICRAF achieving carbon-neutral status in December 2012. ICRAF Headquarters and regional offices offset their emissions and were certified as a CarbonNeutral® Office by purchasing carbon credits from the Kasigau Corridor REDD+ Project in Kenya. Actions are already planned or underway at ICRAF to reduce the carbon footprint in the long term, including a new recycling system, LED lighting, rainwater harvesting and an improved video conferencing system to reduce the need for air travel.

The CarbonNeutral Protocol is the global standard for carbon neutral certification, providing the pragmatic guidance businesses need to build credible reduction solutions and offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to net zero. The CarbonNeutral Protocol guarantees the integrity and credibility of clients’ carbon neutral certification and enables them to be certified CarbonNeutral®. The Protocol is revised and updated annually to reflect the changing requirements of both science and business.