Business · NEWS EXPLAINER
Google and McKinsey back 320,000-ton Brazil silvopasture carbon deal
The ten-year purchase supports restoration on 8,700 hectares within a wider 50,000-hectare plan. Credits are a future delivery commitment, not proof that removals have already occurred.
Google and McKinsey agreed on October 19 to purchase 320,000 metric tons of carbon-removal credits over ten years from a Brazilian silvopasture project developed by Working Trees through the Symbiosis Coalition.
The deal gives the project long-term demand and financing, but it should be read as a commitment for future verified removals. Reuters confirms the agreement and its scale; Working Trees’ current materials explain how the tree-pasture-cattle system and monitoring tools are intended to operate.
What the agreement covers
Google and McKinsey agreed to purchase 320,000 metric tons of carbon-removal credits over ten years through the Symbiosis Coalition. Reuters reports that the contracts support Working Trees projects across the southeastern Amazon and Cerrado regions of Brazil. The purchase is a forward commitment for future verified removals, not evidence that 320,000 tons have already been removed.
The land and project scale
The first funded scope covers 8,700 hectares of degraded and semi-degraded pasture within a broader 50,000-hectare plan. Working Trees says its model combines native, hardwood, nitrogen-fixing and forage trees with pasture and cattle. Its current site reports 2,167 hectares planted, 450,000 trees and 18 partner farmers across its wider operations; those figures are company-reported and should not be confused with the new contract’s eventual delivery.
How silvopasture is meant to work
Rows of trees are integrated into working pasture rather than replacing ranching. Working Trees says shade can extend growing seasons, improve soil resilience and reduce heat stress for cattle, while timber and other tree products can diversify farmer income. The company also says it covers most implementation costs and supplies farm-specific technical support.
How progress is supposed to be measured
Working Trees describes a monitoring system that combines satellite imagery, machine learning, ground measurements and geotagged trees. These tools describe the developer’s monitoring approach, but the purchase announcement does not state that all future credits are already verified or delivered. Delivery schedules, measurement results and registry issuance remain future checkpoints.
What the deal does not prove
A carbon-credit purchase does not replace direct emissions reductions, and Reuters notes criticism that offsets can let polluters delay cutting their own emissions. The agreement provides long-term finance and demand for a land-restoration model; its climate value will depend on measured removals, durability, additionality and credible verification over the contract period.
