COP30 Carbon Credit Innovation! Taiwan and Guatemala Partner to Build Climate Resilience Using Bamboo

The 30th UN Climate Change Conference (COP30) has identified "Nature Positive" as a key pillar, with significant attention focused on how nations are implementing "local adaptation" amidst extreme weather conditions.

The International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) held a side event during COP30 to share its "Bamboo Industry Sustainable Management and Enhancement Project," a collaboration with its diplomatic ally, Guatemala. They announced plans to develop this into the world's first Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) carbon credit project for bamboo, making it a major highlight of the summit.

Thirty Years of Dedication: From Craftsmanship to Climate Resilience Taiwan and Guatemala have cooperated in the bamboo industry for 30 years, with this partnership undergoing three transformations in response to the evolving needs of the times:

The First Decade: Focused on introducing species and technology, and promoting bamboo handicrafts and furniture.

The Second Decade: Established education centers to deepen cultivation and application technologies.

The Third Decade (Present): Focusing on the climate aspect. To strengthen supply chain resilience, the collaboration shifted its focus to assisting remote areas affected by climate change, improving both the quality and quantity of bamboo forests.

Taking the municipality of San Juan Chamelco as an example, the TaiwanICDF Technical Mission taught local farmers to develop uses for bamboo, successfully replacing the need to log mangroves. This not only preserved the mangroves—a massive carbon sink—but also maintained a natural defensive barrier against disasters for coastal communities.

Introducing Advanced Technology to Help Allies Achieve NDC Goals To enhance industrial value, TaiwanICDF partnered with the German agency GIZ to introduce advanced technology and collaborated with the local Rafael Landívar University and the University of San Carlos to support enterprises in designing and developing innovative products.

Yen Ming-hong, Director of the Technical Cooperation Department at TaiwanICDF, stated that Guatemala is one of the countries most severely affected by extreme climate. Through bamboo materials, the project can not only boost the rural economy but also strengthen climate adaptation resilience, assisting Guatemala in achieving its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) goal—reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 22.6% by 2030 with international support.

Aiming for the World's First VCS Bamboo Carbon Credit The next phase of this project has an ambitious goal: applying for Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certification.

If successful, this will be the world's first bamboo VCS project. This means bamboo's carbon sequestration ability will be converted into tradable carbon credits, thereby attracting international climate finance. TaiwanICDF will continue to provide technical and financial support to assist with field surveys and verification, ensuring the value of the project's carbon credits.

Guatemala's Ambassador for Climate Change and Environment, Rita Mishaan Rosell, expressed high expectations. She emphasized that "Nature-based Solutions" (NbS) are a highly prioritized aspect of the UN Climate Convention and hopes that through this project, the quality of life for residents in remote areas will be substantially improved.