Natural Climate Solutions
Disney funds the regeneration and protection of forests and other natural areas to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and support local communities through investment in high quality, certified Natural Climate Solutions. We support scalable projects developed using peer-reviewed protocols grounded in science and resulting in verified emissions reductions.
Investing in Nature
Since 2009, Disney has invested nearly $100M in over 30 projects that are addressing climate change and providing co-benefits like conserving habitat for wildlife, creating jobs, protecting water resources, and reducing impacts from floods and soil erosion. Learn more about our approach to investing in nature in our NCS White Paper.
800
jobs created
9M+
trees planted
1M
acres protected
Our portfolio of forestry projects support local economies and communities with employment opportunities such as park rangers, surveyors, trainers, and seasonal workers.
Over the past decade we helped plant the saplings that will provide tree cover for future generations. When mature, these trees will remove carbon dioxide from the air, protect water resources, provide habitat, and enrich communities.
We also believe protecting the planet’s existing forests is as important as restoring woodlands. Projects we support are protecting over a million acres of forests around the world, helping prevent further carbon releases from the destruction of these valuable lands.
Projects
Highlights from some of our recent investments that are delivering benefits for people and the planet.
Healthy Families and Protecting the Environment
Proyecto Mirador constructs fuel-efficient, wood-burning cookstoves in rural Honduras and Guatemala. These stoves help eliminate toxic smoke from homes, conserve trees, shorten cooking times, create small businesses and permanent jobs. With nearly 220,000 stoves installed, Proyecto Mirador has helped thousands of families reduce wood use, breathe cleaner air, and access affordable, clean energy for cooking. Since 2009, the project has prevented more than 2 million metric tonnes of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere.
Bringing Back Majestic Trees
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park, first the home of the Kumeyaay Indians and currently a California State Park east of San Diego, helps people to get outdoors. In 2003, the devastating Cedar Fire devoured the majority of the park and killed all seeds. Since natural regeneration will not occur, Disney is supporting efforts to restore the park to its former beauty. The Cuyamaca Rancho State Park project planted over 1,000 acres of native trees that will support wildlife and continue to be a destination for people to explore and connect with nature.
Family Forest Carbon Program
The Family Forest Carbon Program created by the American Forest Foundation and The Nature Conservancy empowers America’s rural family forest owners to improve the health of their forests and address climate change. The program partners with family and individual landowners with small forest holdings to manage their forests in ways that sequester and store more carbon.
The program is currently offered in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia with more than 13,000 acres enrolled and aims to enroll 20% of the U.S. family-owned acres in climate-friendly practices long-term, to support the production of roughly 50 million tons of annual climate mitigation.