Ground-breaking agreement with the City of Cartagena and Local Partners to Sell Carbon Creatures NFTs to Raise Catalytic Capital for a Mangrove Forests Restoration project.
Meta Carbon, the US-based blockchain company helping brands and cities engage visitors and customers on the topic of climate change, has signed an agreement with the City of Cartagena to use its Carbon Creatures NFT collection to alleviate poverty and restore fragile ecosystems in the Caribbean tourist hotspot.
As part of the ground-breaking memorandum of understanding, Carbon Creatures will mint 150 of its 8,888 animal-inspired NFTs to help raise up to USD$1,000,000 for an ambitious mangroves reforestation project adjacent to one of Cartagena’s most impoverished neighborhoods, El Pozon.
The turtle-themed digital collectibles will be sold to local businesses while there are turtle egg and mangrove seedling NFTs for eco-friendly and socially-conscious visitors that share Meta Carbon’s belief that travel should have a healthy impact on destinations, help educate the public, and play a positive role in the fight against climate change.
Funds from the sale of the first 150 Carbon Creature Impact NFTs will go towards raising $240,000 of catalytic capital required to issue green and social impact bonds linked to Cartagena’s mangroves ecosystem restoration program.
As well as its unique, hawksbill turtle NFTs, Carbon Creatures will sell another 20,000 turtle egg and mangrove seedling NFTs that will help raise as much as USD$1,000,000 to fund Cartagena’s plans to sequester up to 40,000 tonnes of CO2e in the next decade. Each of the 10,000 Mangrove Seedling NFTs are connected to an actual seedling being planted by the project to help the city efforts in environmental adaptation to help address climate related flooding.
Web3 Technology Delivering Tangible Benefits in the Real World
It is the first time a city has used NFTs to raise money for a Blue Carbon climate mitigation project. The innovative mangrove forest restoration program managed by local charity, Fundación Grupo Social, will not only combat climate change by sequestering carbon, but it will also create jobs, support displaced populations and pull families out of extreme poverty.
“In addition to sequestering as much as 40,000 tonnes of CO2, the mangrove trees planted will help protect impoverished neighborhoods in Cartagena from coastal erosion, create ecotourism opportunities and help artisanal fishermen recover their livelihoods. Regenerative tourism and Web3 technologies have a big role to play in improving the lives of everyone in Cartagena,” said William Dau, the Mayor of Cartagena.
Part of the funds from each NFT sold will also go towards supporting a conservation project in the Rosario Islands National Park that protects the endangered hawksbill turtle.
“We encourage all the visitors to Cartagena and local and international businesses to support this fun and innovative way to raise money to combat the climate crisis and fight biodiversity loss in Cartagena,” said Ana Maria Gonzalez-Forero, director of the department of International Cooperation. “This is an incredible example of how tourism can have a positive impact on destinations. Cartagena doesn’t just need tourists, we need visitors who care about this city as much as we do. This initiative builds a direct link between tourist dollars and notable improvements to the environment and living conditions for the people of Cartagena.”
Blue Carbon is Key to Combating Climate Change.
“Blue carbon” refers to carbon dioxide stored in coastal wetlands, including mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes. These ecosystems have a disproportionately high carbon sequestration and storage capacity compared to terrestrial forests and other ocean ecosystems. Although they cover less than 2% of total ocean area, mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes account for half of the carbon stored in oceans due to their ability to draw down atmospheric carbon and trap it for long periods of time. Scaling up blue carbon activities is critical to addressing the climate emergency.
Cartagena’s 57 ha poverty alleviation and climate mitigation project, will involve the planting of as many as 20,000 mangrove trees.
Meta Carbon Raising Awareness Around Climate Change
The tie-up with Cartagena is the first time Meta Carbon has allocated its Carbon Creatures NFT collection to a specific project.
Determined to enlist more people and corporations to fight the climate crisis, Meta Carbon’s unique NFT collection of 8,888 animal-inspired tokens (minted at CarbonCreatures.com) gives collectors a fun way to reduce their carbon footprint, support social projects, and protect endangered creatures around the world.
“We believe that addressing climate change will require the participation of every person, corporation, and government,” says Meta Carbon co-founder, Tom Herman.
“Greater transparency is key to building trust and blockchain technology is definitely going to help social impact investors connect with companies and local governments to address some of the biggest challenges we face as a species. We’re delighted to have the chance to work with the City of Cartagena on this pioneering initiative, this truly innovative project is not only good for Carbon Creatures collectors but is also good for Cartagena and sets a great example to the rest of the world.”
Carbon Creatures NFT collection is designed to help companies and local governments engage with their audience in a fun way while creating a powerful environmental movement that will make the world a healthier place.
Wear Your Eco-Friendly NFT With Pride
Carbon Creatures NFTs are already minted and available on the Polygon blockchain and can be found on NFT platform OpenSea. As well as the Hawksbill Turtles being used for this initiative, other NFTs include Silverback Gorillas, Bengal Tigers, Black Rhinos, Slender Snouted Crocodiles, Brown Monkeys, and the Scimitar Horned Oryx. The next tranche of creatures will include Asian Elephants, Polar Bears, Lemurs, Blue Iguanas, Blue Whales, Great White Sharks, and more.
Each NFT animal represents one of these endangered species “frozen in carbonite” and the funds from each sale are invested in carbon projects, carbon offsets, and charities that support endangered animals and the restoration of their habitats. Each Carbon Creature is backed by at least one metric ton of carbon offsets which is the equivalent of an economy class return flight from New York to London.
As well as having a positive social and environmental impact, Meta Carbon’s innovative, eco-friendly NFTs can be named, leveled up, nurtured, traded, and played in a range of specially-built Carbon Creatures and third-party metaverse gaming environments.
About Meta Carbon
Meta Carbon is a US-based company helping brands engage their audience on the topic of climate change. Its Carbon Creatures venture is the first NFT project in the world dedicated to capturing carbon and protecting the natural habitats of some of the world’s most endangered species. Funds raised from Carbon Creatures NFT sales go to purchasing and retiring carbon offsets as well as supporting local charities and organizations that protect endangered animals and their habitats.
For more information on the project in Cartagena visit:
To buy your first truly, eco-friendly NFT visit: www.carboncreatures.com