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CO2 compensation deal with Ghana to help Swiss reach climate goal

rice harvest
Switzerland has pledged to help Ghana with the production of climate-friendly rice production. Keystone / Legnan Koula

Switzerland has signed an agreement with Ghana to offset greenhouse gas emissions of the government administration.

Under the deal signed on Saturday, Switzerland will promote climate-friendly, low-methane rice production techniques in its partner country in West Africa.

The agreement is part of the measures adopted by the Swiss government in 2019, which include cutting the government administration’s greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 (compared to 2006), the Federal Office for the Environment.

The remaining emissions are to be offset by climate protection projects abroad between 2021 and 2030.

This partnership will save more than one million tonnes of CO2 equivalents by 2030. Ghana will also benefit beyond that date through a better supply of climate-friendly foodstuffs. The project is being implemented by the United Nations Development Programme, according to Swiss officials.

Switzerland has already signed similar agreements with Morocco, Malawi, Uruguay and Thailand.

It is one of the countries that makes extensive use of this lever for offsetting CO2 emissions.

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