Data ReFined #22: COP28 Highlights - Protecting the Congo Basin with Digital MRV, Carbon Financing, Data Platforms

The Newsletter about Climate Data, Regenerative Finance, and Climate Risk ⛅

Hello, and welcome to the latest publication of the Data ReFined newsletter! This special edition highlights a curated list of exciting developments and announcements from COP28. As always, we also cover recent industry news across climate intelligence, climate finance, and climate risk.

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Safeguarding the Congo Basin

During COP28, dClimate signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to safeguard the biodiverse-rich Congo Basin rainforest and peatlands.

This partnership targets the protection of hundreds of thousands of hectares of Congolese natural capital, leveraging the CYCLOPS platform to digitally measure, report, and verify the carbon sequestration capacity of the Congo Basin.

The initiative aims to capture more than 100 million tonnes of CO2, generating high-quality conservation credits. These credits are designed to bring integrity and transparency to global carbon markets, focusing on data integrity, quality, standards, and robust cooperation with both national authorities and local communities.

Please find more details in the announcement below. ⬇️

dClimate Signs MoU With Democratic Republic of Congo to Protect the Congo Basin Rainforest and Peatlands

In a landmark move for global conservation efforts, U.S.-based dClimate, a leader in decentralized climate data infrastructure, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to safeguard the biodiverse-rich Congo Basin rainforest and peatlands. This historic MoU targets the preservation of hundreds

dClimatedClimate

Extra Information About This Partnership

• "Safeguarding the Lungs of Africa: The Critical Fight for the Congo Basin" - a byline to the announcement from dClimate's co-founders Sid Jha and Osho Jha.
• "Billionaire Mark Cuban Backing $1 Billion Congo Carbon Plan" - an article from Bloomberg.
• "U.S. Tycoon Mark Cuban And dClimate To Back $1 Billion Congo Carbon Plan" - coverage from the Carbon Herald.

The significance of preserving the Congo Basin and this partnership was discussed during ReFi NYC. Watch the fireside chat between Sid Jha and Joseph Malassi for in-depth insights. ⬇️

Other COP28 Highlights

• The proof of concept for the Net-Zero Data Public Utility (NZDPU) was unveiled. The utility is a global open repository for private sector climate transition-related data, freely accessible to all.
• BxC's event focusing on how blockchain technology and verifiable data can support climate financing and scale carbon markets was a big success.
• Proposals Articles 6.2. and 6.4 of the Paris Agreement, respectively providing guidance on exchanging and verifying carbon credits by countries, was rejected.
• The responsibilities of the Task Force on Climate Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are officially going to be phased out and taken over by the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Industry News

Why Carbon Financing is an Important Tool in Climate Action

This article from Politico provides a comprehensive overview of forest-based carbon credits, discussing the critiques and the substantial work done to ensure their integrity.

Saving the world’s forests through carbon markets isn’t just ‘greenwashing’

The problems with forest carbon markets that have hit the front pages are very real. But they aren’t the full story.

POLITICOGraham Stuart

The Role of Data and Technology in Creating Natural Credits

Robert Heilberg, dClimate's Head of Growth, was featured on page 11 of Rebalance Earth’s new White Paper.

ReFi Quick News

• The Climate Collective has joined the Biodiversity Credit Alliance (BCA) forum.
• Nori launched a hybrid carbon removal credit that pairs regenerative and permanent carbon removals.
• Toucan released the Toucan-Puro bridge, a way to tokenize and retire CO2 Removal Certificates (CORCs) from the Puro Earth Registry.

New Models to Understand Forests

The U.S. Forest Service has introduced new National Scale Volume Biomass (NSVB) models, providing a consistent and scientifically accurate method to predict tree volume, biomass, and carbon content.

Report says new models will improve understanding of America’s forests

Forests and the carbon they capture play a pivotal role in combating climate change, and a new report co-authored by NAU researchers is set to transform forest conservation efforts nationwide by providing new, more accurate models for calculating and predicting how much carbon they hold.

Phys.orgScience X

How AI Models Improve Weather Forecasting and Help to Save Lives

This 11-minute video from The Economist explains the importance of ground weather stations, satellite data, and AI-powered weather forecasting models to create early warning systems that can save lives during extreme weather events. How do we distribute these predictive insights to all countries?

EKA Venture's Climate x Insurtech Report

EKA Ventures has published a report on climate-focused insurance technology companies, providing a comprehensive overview of this sector. dClimate and Arbol are both featured in the report.

Climate x Insurtech 2023

Issue 55 l Climate x Insurtech 2023

Eka Ventures NewsletterEstia Ryan

Insights from 2023's Wildfire Season

This collection of articles provides insights into the various aspects of wildfires, from the analyses of this year's wildfires to living with the aftermath.

What did we learn from 2023’s destructive wildfires? » Yale Climate Connections

Massive wildfires raged from northern Canada to Greece to Hawai’i this year.

Yale Climate ConnectionsSueEllen Campbell

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