“As the program matures, UOG is pursuing Gold Standard Carbon Credit Certification to create a sustainable funding source beyond grants. As trees grow and capture carbon, the program could sell credits on the carbon market to finance ongoing restoration work. The certification process, guided by Hawaii-based consulting firm Hā Sustainability and funded by the U.S. Climate Alliance, would allow Guam to offer carbon credits with multiple benefits, including carbon sequestration, improved coral reef health, job creation and local economic gains.
The initiative represents a shift from the traditional grant-dependent model to using available resources to generate revenue and sustain conservation efforts long term. If successful, the approach could serve as a model for other islands in Micronesia facing similar watershed challenges.”
Launched in 2017 by the governors of Washington, New York, and California to help fill the void left by the U.S. federal government’s withdrawal from the Paris Agreement, the Alliance has grown to include 24 governors from across the U.S. representing approximately 60 percent of the U.S. economy and 55 percent of the U.S. population. Governors in the Alliance have pledged to collectively reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 26-28 percent by 2025, 50-52 percent by 2030, and 61-66 percent by 2035, all below 2005 levels, and collectively achieve overall net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as practicable, and no later than 2050.
The Alliance’s states and territories continue to advance innovative and impactful climate solutions to grow the economy, create jobs, and protect public health, and have a long record of action and results. In fact, the latest data shows that as of 2023, the Alliance has reduced its collective net greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent below 2005 levels, while increasing collective GDP by 34 percent, and is on track to meet its near-term climate goal of reducing collective greenhouse gas emissions 26 percent below 2005 levels by 2025.
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