Reinvesting Carbon Revenues in Mining Regions

Coal transition projects are not only about preventing future emissions. They are also about supporting the communities and economies that have historically depended on coal production.

For many mining regions, coal has provided employment, infrastructure investment, and economic stability for decades. As global energy systems transition, it is important that communities connected to coal production are not left behind.

The Go4Carbon programme therefore incorporates a commitment to reinvest a portion of the revenue generated from carbon credit sales back into the mine and the surrounding regional economy.

This approach helps ensure that the transition from coal production to climate asset generation creates new economic opportunities rather than economic decline.

Our approach in Shabunda is designed to change this dynamic fundamentally.

Rather than treating additionality as an abstract accounting concept, we define it as direct, traceable reinvestment into community resilience and long-term economic alternatives that actively reduce the drivers of deforestation.

A meaningful share of additionality funding generated from the Shabunda carbon credits is ring-fenced for local community deployment, with a primary focus on green energy and livelihood transition projects. These initiatives are designed to replace environmentally destructive activities particularly coal extraction and charcoal dependence where they are economically or socially prevalent.

This approach ensures that carbon finance does not simply reward avoided outcomes, but actively changes future behaviour by addressing root causes.

Real transformation in Shabunda requires partnerships with organisations that combine credibility, technical expertise, and on-the-ground delivery capability. We are working with, and aligning our approach to, the following priority partners to ensure outcomes are real, safeguarded, and scalable.

International expertise is matched with local ownership. We work closely with:

• Community-based organisations in South Kivu

• Local authorities and education services

• Faith-based and ecumenical institutions

• Community energy cooperatives and youth groups

These partnerships provide trust, cultural understanding, and continuity essential for long term success.

Food insecurity remains one of the most pressing and interconnected challenges facing communities in Shabunda and across eastern Congo. Where households lack reliable income, energy, and infrastructure, food systems become fragile leading to malnutrition, unstable livelihoods, and increased pressure on both children and natural resources.

We see food security not as a standalone humanitarian issue, but as a foundational pillar of long-term social and environmental stability.

Our food security strategy in Shabunda is tightly integrated with our broader additionality and energy access model. Rather than short-term food aid, we focus on enabling communities to produce, store, and access food sustainably.

Food security interventions are aligned with internationally recognised development frameworks and informed by collaboration with UN-aligned partners, including those focused on agriculture, nutrition, and resilience such as the Food and Agriculture Organization.

This alignment ensures that local interventions:

• Support sustainable food systems rather than dependency

• Strengthen resilience to climate variability

• Integrate with national and regional development priorities

An Advisory Board to Deliver, Monitor, and Protect Impact

To ensure that impact commitments translate into real-world outcomes, Shabunda is supported by a dedicated Advisory Board established to guide, oversee, and continuously monitor the deployment of capital and the delivery of social, environmental, and economic outcomes.

The Advisory Board is designed to provide independent oversight, technical insight, and accountability across all stages of implementation.

Role of the Advisory Board

Buyer Representation and Alignment

Crucially, the Advisory Board includes representatives from buyers, ensuring direct alignment between capital providers, project delivery, and impact outcomes.

Buyer representation helps to:

• Strengthen transparency and trust

• Align expectations on impact delivery and reporting

• Ensure that funded outcomes meet the standards required by institutional, corporate, and regulatory stakeholders

• Create a direct feedback loop between buyers and on-the-ground implementation

This approach moves beyond traditional “arm’s-length” carbon transactions and establishes a shared responsibility model for impact.

A Framework Built for Long-Term Integrity

By embedding governance, buyer participation, and independent oversight into the project structure, Shabunda sets a higher bar for integrity and accountability in nature-based projects.