U.S. Government, Althelia Climate Fund Mobilize $133.8 Million for Forest Conservation and Alternative Livelihoods

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced its support for the Althelia Climate Fund to lend up to $133.8 million in commercial financing for forest conservation and sustainable land use, helping to remove 100 million tons of carbon—the equivalent of 18.5 million cars—from our atmosphere. The announcement was made by Secretary of State John Kerry via video message at the Carbon Expo in Cologne, Germany. Through its Development Credit Authority, USAID will offer a new risk-sharing loan guarantee that will enable Althelia, the first private sector fund dedicated to forest conservation at this scale, to finance hundreds of forest-based businesses in developing countries that rely on sustainably managed land use for their livelihoods.