Google Enters Major Amazon Reforestation Deal with Brazilian Startup to Become Top Carbon-Credit Buyer

Google has reached a landmark agreement with Brazilian startup Mombak to restore degraded land in the Amazon rainforest, making the startup Google’s primary supplier of nature-based carbon credits. Under the deal, Google will offset approximately 200,000 metric tons of CO₂ through reforestation activities — about four times the volume of its pilot contract with Mombak last year.

Mombak acquires or partners with landowners in Brazil’s Pará state to replace degraded pastureland with native forest. The company then generates high-integrity carbon removal credits which Google purchases to help balance emissions tied to its global data-centre operations, especially energy-intensive AI infrastructure.

As part of this deal, Google emphasises that it is now working with Mombak as its exclusive provider of forestry-based removal credits, signalling a significant shift in its climate-finance strategy. The company has previously invested in a range of technologies such as enhanced rock weathering and biochar, but has chosen to scale a nature-based solution at this stage.

Analysis / Impact:
The agreement carries multiple strategic implications. First, it signals rising demand for high-quality nature-based carbon removal from major tech firms — $50 to $100 or more per tonne is reportedly now common for well-certified Amazon reforestation credits.

Second, it elevates Brazil — and specifically the Amazon region — as a growing hub for globally traded climate-finance contracts. Startups like Mombak gain credibility, while Google and similar buyers position themselves as serious players in the carbon-removal market beyond traditional offsetting.

Third, this deal underscores how big technology companies are linking their climate commitments to operational risk: in Google’s case, offsetting emissions from rapidly expanding cloud and AI infrastructure. By securing a large contract with a dedicated supplier, Google may influence pricing, supply-chain transparency and ecosystem standards in the carbon-market space.

However, significant challenges remain. The integrity of nature-based removal credits has been questioned — from issues of permanence and monitoring to local-community impacts and land tenure. Ensuring that reforested land remains protected and verified over decades is essential. Moreover, scaling such efforts to meet corporate demand could strain ecosystems, regulatory frameworks and investor confidence.

In summary, Google’s deal with Mombak marks a major moment in corporate climate strategy: investing meaningfully in forest-based carbon removal, rather than just buying credits at scale. Whether this becomes a template for others — and whether it delivers long-term environmental and community benefits — remains to be seen.