More Than Carbon
You might have heard about getting carbon credits from growing trees. But did you know Tree Aid is pioneering a better way to do both?
A way that not only removes carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the atmosphere, but also brings much-needed income to communities in Africa already living with the effects of the climate crisis.
With backing from Tree Aid supporters, these communities grow and care for trees that provide food, sustainable businesses, and restore land. Now, thanks to carbon credits, communities can also get paid for protecting those trees, keeping the carbon safely stored in the ground, while using the funds for what matters most to them: sending their children to school, accessing healthcare, clean water, and more.
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Why do we care about carbon?
Carbon dioxide is a gas that exists naturally in our environment. But human activity, like burning fossil fuels, cutting down forests and large-scale commercial farming, has added far too much of it to the atmosphere. This is causing the climate to heat up faster than ever before.
The effects are already being felt through extreme weather, changing seasons, and damage to wildlife, ecosystems and people’s lives.
Pictured: Imam Massaer in Senegal, walking across an area of dryland
That’s why governments and organisations around the world are working to reduce how much carbon we release into the air. But many things we rely on, like transport, manufacturing and growing food, still produce emissions. While we shift to cleaner solutions, one way to slow the damage is through carbon credits.
What are carbon credits?
A carbon credit represents one tonne of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere or prevented from being released.
Carbon credits can be bought in the carbon market by companies and large organisations to help balance emissions that are hard to avoid.
They are intended to be used alongside serious efforts to reduce emissions - not as a replacement for doing so.
One way carbon credits are created is through growing new trees. Trees naturally remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it as they grow.
Tree Aid’s carbon credits come from community-led tree growing projects designed first to restore land, support livelihoods and produce food.
Carbon credits then provide an additional, long-term income for communities who protect those trees and the carbon they store.
Can I buy carbon credits?
No, not unless you're representing a large organisation. Our carbon credits are available for companies and large organisations. Individuals can’t purchase them directly, but your support still powers the work behind them.
Potential problems with carbon credits
Some people worry that carbon credits can be seen as a “get-out-of-jail-free card”. Big polluters might buy credits instead of making real changes to cut their own emissions.
Tree Aid’s position is clear. Carbon credits should only be used to balance emissions that are genuinely hard to avoid, and they must go hand in hand with serious efforts to reduce emissions wherever possible.
So how do we make sure carbon credits meet the high standards we believe in?
Setting new, higher standards for carbon credits
In 2025, Tree Aid’s Tond Tenga project in Burkina Faso became the first in the world to be verified under the new Verra Carbon Standard.
This means the carbon credits it produces have been independently assessed to meet the highest standards. Not just in terms of carbon, but also in delivering real social and environmental benefits.
It’s a major milestone, and we’re proud to be leading the way.
Pictured: Alimata Tiendrebeogo, in Burkina Faso, with a tree seedling, part of the Tond Tenga project
We are incredibly proud that our work, giving communities in Burkina Faso direct access to a share of income generated from carbon credits, is not only impactful but innovative.
More than carbon
Pictured: Members of the Vohoko cooperative, part of Tree Aid's Tond Tenga project with tree-seedlings
Tond Tenga is more than a carbon project. It’s a community-led solution to both the climate crisis and poverty.
The name Tond Tenga means "our land" in the local Mooré language, reflecting the deep connection between people and nature in this part of West Africa.
In a region facing desertification, deforestation and more frequent floods and droughts, the project supports small-scale farmers to grow trees that restore the soil, support food production and create new sources of income from nuts, seeds and other tree products.
Our goal is long-lasting change: land and life, stronger together.
We still need your support
Supporters like you help communities restore land, grow food and build lasting sources of income through trees.
Carbon credits simply ensure that when those trees are protected for the long term, communities are also fairly paid for the climate benefits they provide.
Together, we’ve helped grow over 40 million trees where they are needed most.
But this is about more than trees. It’s about standing with communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis and backing solutions that work for people and the planet.