Agence Française de Développement is strongly committed to combating climate change and, in line with its social responsibility policy, has pledged to become carbon neutral for the period 2008-2012. Its first operation to purchase carbon credits was conducted in October 2008 and has financed a project to combat deforestation in Cambodia.

>> AFD assesses its greenhouse gas emissions

AFD’s carbon balance (Bilan carbone®) is calculated on the basis of 2007 activities and consumption. It stands at some 20 000 tons of CO2 equivalent annually, i.e. 20 tCO2Eq per staffer. This balance is calculated using a method approved by ADEME (French Environment and Energy Management Agency) and concerns the operating of AFD’s two sites in France (Paris and Marseille): staff travel (missions abroad, expatriate assignments, home-work travel), freight, energy in buildings, procurement, depreciation.

>> Reducing its CO2 emissions

AFD aims to reduce its emissions in line with the public authorities’ target to make a fourfold reduction in France’s emissions by 2050. Actions will initially focus on developing long-distance communication tools (videoconferencing). This is a major issue since professional travel accounts for just over 50% of total emissions. It will be implemented gradually from 2009 onwards via the widespread use of videoconferencing tools in AFD’s network of agencies. Moreover, structural actions on the headquarters building and awareness-raising among colleagues will have an effect on diffuse emissions from consumption that can be reduced (electricity, means of transport…).

>> 2008-2012: carbon neutral target

Agence Française de Développement has pledged to become carbon neutral for the period 2008-2012 within the framework of the Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) policy it adopted in 2007. It will be necessary to offset some 20 000 tons of CO2 equivalent annually over this period. Emission offsetting will be implemented in several phases. The first involves purchasing 60 000 tons of CO2 equivalent so that the activities of the headquarters and its training department, the CEFEB, become neutral for the period 2008-2010. The carbon balance will be extended to AFD’s network of agencies at a later stage and a new offsetting operation will be conducted on the basis of a general and updated review.

The first carbon purchase operation in order to become neutral was conducted in October 2008 by using carbon assets to finance a project to combat deforestation in Cambodia.
The project finances the local construction and availability of low-consumption ovens which make it possible to limit forest wood harvesting. It is implemented by GERES (Renewable Energy, Environment and Solidarity Group), a French NGO that has been operating in Cambodia since 1997 >> Find out more

Agence Française de Développement will, in all cases, systematically cancel assets corresponding to these projects. Indeed, the aim is not to conduct a financial operation but to offset unavoided greenhouse gas emissions.

Our mission

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is a public establishment and has been working for over sixty years to combat poverty and promote the development of South countries within the framework of France’s official development assistance.

AFD is active in the field in over 70 countries and Overseas France and finances and supports projects to improve living conditions for populations, boost economic growth and protect the planet: getting children into school, supporting farmers and small companies, providing water supply, preserving tropical forests, combating climate change…

In 2007, AFD earmarked 3.5 billion euros to finance operations in South countries and Overseas France. Thanks to this financing 5.8 million children went to school and 4 million people gained access to water supply. Energy efficiency projects for the same year saved 2.7 million tons of C O2 annually.

>> More about AFD group

About AFD Group activity in Cambodia

About Social and Environmental Responsibility (SER) Policy

About AFD’s SER commitments

Publications

AFD and climate change: Balancing development and climate

>> Download this document

--------------------------------------

More about the AFD's publications

Press Contacts

Laure Weisgerber,
weisgerberl[@]afd.fr - Tel.: 33 1 53 44 30 57

Anne-Sophie Morizot (Hopscotch),
asmorizot[@]hopscotch.fr - Tel.: 33 1 58 65 00 88