Standard Chartered and Acre Team Up on Amazon Carbon Credits

In a powerful mix of banking and climate action, Standard Chartered has partnered with Acre, a forest-covered state in western Brazil. The goal? To help protect the Amazon rainforest and make money by doing it.

The deal, reported by Bloomberg, will run for five years. During this time, Standard Chartered will help sell carbon credits earned by keeping the forest safe from deforestation. For Acre, this means a chance to earn real income from saving nature instead of cutting it down.

Turning Trees into Value

Acre is one of the most forested places in Brazil. It shares borders with Peru and Bolivia and holds part of the world’s most important rainforest.

The new deal will create carbon credits by measuring how much carbon pollution the forest absorbs when it’s left untouched. These credits will then be sold to companies looking to balance out their own emissions.

Companies that produce too much pollution can buy these credits to help balance it out. While it doesn’t remove their pollution completely, it helps support projects that lower carbon in the air—like protecting forests.

Why This Matters

Carbon credits are a hot topic in climate solutions. They give companies a way to act on climate while working on longer-term changes to their operations. But not all credits are trusted. Some past projects were poorly tracked or didn’t really help the planet.

That’s why this deal stands out. Standard Chartered says it will follow strong, science-based rules to make sure every credit sold represents real climate benefits.

For Acre, this also means steady income without destroying the forest. It’s a new way of thinking—earn by preserving, not by clearing.

Helping People and Nature at the Same Time

The deal could bring millions of dollars into Acre over the next few years. That money can help support local communities, especially Indigenous groups who live in the forest and protect it every day.

This money can help Acre make schools better, bring more healthcare, and create new jobs—without having to cut down trees or let illegal logging happen.

It’s about more than just trees. It’s about helping the people who live in and around the forest too. 

A Model for the Future?

If this plan works out, other rainforest areas might give it a try too. The Amazon is disappearing fast, and experts say losing more of it could seriously harm the planet’s weather and climate.

But this deal shows a better way forward. It proves that when banks, governments, and local people work together, they can do more than just make promises—they can take real action.

No, this one deal won’t fix the whole problem. But it is a good first step. It shows that protecting the planet can also help people earn a living—and that gives us hope for the future.