Apple Leads First-Ever $200 Million Climate Change Restore Fund With Partners

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Apple Leads First-Ever $200 Million Climate Change Restore Fund With Partners AOC Sustainability

Apple announced in April announced a first-of-its-kind carbon removal initiative — called the Restore Fund — that will make investments in forestry projects to remove carbon from the atmosphere while generating a financial return for investors. Launched with Conservation International and Goldman Sachs, Apple’s $200 million fund aims to remove at least 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually from the atmosphere, equivalent to the amount of fuel used by over 200,000 passenger vehicles, while demonstrating a viable financial model that can help scale up investment in forest restoration.

This effort is part of Apple’s broader goal to become carbon neutral across its entire value chain by 2030. While the company will directly eliminate 75 percent of emissions for its supply chain and products by 2030, the fund will help address the remaining 25 percent of Apple’s emissions by removing carbon from the atmosphere. Trees absorb carbon as they grow, with researchers estimating that tropical forests hold more carbon than humanity has emitted over the past 30 years from burning coal, oil, and natural gas, despite ongoing deforestation. The partnership aims to unlock the potential of this natural solution by scaling it in a way that makes it attractive to businesses.

Cher's Lonely Pakistani Elephant Kaavan Is Global Ambassador for Hope in Cambodia

Image: Cher stands with Kaavan, the elephant she helped rescue. (Smithsonian Channel)

Image: Cher stands with Kaavan, the elephant she helped rescue. (Smithsonian Channel)

It only took her 5 years, but Cher got Kaavan, a male elephant, out of very restricted quarters in a Pakistani zoo -- with a highest court ruling that shut down the entire zoo -- and relocated him to the Cambodia Wildlife Sanctuary, a 30,000-acre forested property near Angkor Wat.

A committed, international village of activist humans and international bureaucrats was required to accomplish this elephant mercy mission. Kaavan even flew out of Pakistan into India's air space -- which DOES NOT HAPPEN — on his way to his new home in Cambodia

Because of all the successful, international problem-solving involved in his release, Kaavan became a symbol of global hope beyond his own elephant-self wellbeing.

The bull was cooperative for a male elephant but: "Transporting the massive bull elephant over 3,200 miles to Cambodia required Khalil and his colleagues to train Kaavan to willingly enter a customized crate built to withstand an elephant’s brute strength, and putting Kaavan on a diet to meet strict weight requirements for air travel. They also worked to reduce Kaavan’s aggression and improve his mental health,” writes The Smithsonian.

Let's hope that Kaavan has a wonderful life in Cambodia. He's not known as the "world's lonliest elephant" any longer. With any luck, Angelina Jolie will show up to see how Kaavan is doing. She has a home in Cambodia about 4-5 hours away, located in Krong Battambang. Her residence is also home to the Maddox Jolie-Pitt Foundation, named after her son Maddox.