Yann Arthus-Bertrand, president of the GoodPlanet Foundation, and Patrick Pouyann&eacute;, chairman and CEO of Total, recently signed an agreement for a project to deploy 8,400 biodigesters in Telangana State, India, to improve the lives of 45,000 people and contribute tackling climate change. This voluntary carbon neutrality initiative, eligible for certified carbon credits, will avoid the emission of 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent a year for a period of 10 years. That is equivalent to all emissions generated by plane travel by Total employees.
Designed for use by households, biodigesters utilize a fermentation process to convert livestock manure into biogas for cooking and hot water. The solids that remain after fermentation are then used as a nutrient source for crops. Millions of households in India use wood as their primary fuel. The Adilabad project will provide around 45,000 disadvantaged people with renewable, clean, affordable energy. The benefits will include:&nbsp;
&nbsp;- A strong, positive environmental impact, by limiting deforestation.
- An important social impact, by reducing or completely eliminating the time women and children spend gathering wood.
- Improved health and living conditions, especially for women and children, by reducing the risk of respiratory and eye infections caused by indoor air pollution.
- Reduced spending&nbsp;on fuel for cooking and synthetic fertilizers.&nbsp;
&nbsp;&ldquo;Since 2006, I have been encouraging companies and individuals to offset the greenhouse gas emissions generated by their air travel. That&rsquo;s why the GoodPlanet Foundation has created the Social Carbon Offsets program. Our projects are eligible for certified carbon credits and deliver positive outcomes for local communities that can be measured in terms of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals. I&rsquo;m very pleased that Total will be working with us to measure, reduce and offset carbon emissions from its air travel in a project that will provide 45,000 people in India with clean energy,&rdquo; Arthus-Bertrand said.
&ldquo;We are delighted to partner with the GoodPlanet Foundation, recognized for its commitment to environmental, climate and social issues. The project is aligned with Total&rsquo;s broader strategy to tackle climate change and make us the responsible energy major. It also delivers significant benefits in terms of access to affordable, reliable, clean energy for as many people as possible,&rdquo; Pouyann&eacute; said.
The carbon offsetting program comes on top of the reduction of the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with Total employees&rsquo; plane travel. Since 2014, these emissions have decreased by 20 percent.
This project in India was selected because of the country&rsquo;s pivotal role in achieving the Paris Climate Agreement&rsquo;s 2 degree Celsius objective and because of the GoodPlanet Foundation&rsquo;s expertise in the region.
The Adilabad project is starting up this month. The first biodigesters will be operational in 2018. At the same time, Total will also set up initiatives to increase employee awareness of their carbon footprint and ways to offset air travel, with the support of the GoodPlanet Foundation, specialized in environmental education and concrete action.&nbsp;
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Officials representing the GoodPlanet Foundation and Total recently signed an agreement for a project to deploy 8,400 biodigesters in Telangana State, India. The project will avoid the emission of 50,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent annually. 

Total to offset carbon emissions through biogas project

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