Girls’ Ed Carbon Credits

SoGreen

Girls’ Ed Carbon Credits

Transforming girls’ education in low-income countries into a verifiable climate solution by generating high-integrity carbon credits.

Reykjavík, Iceland

ISL

Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit

Climate finance is not reaching the most vulnerable populations already experiencing the impacts of climate change. At the same time, one of the most powerful long-term climate solutions—ensuring girls can complete secondary education—remains underfunded and largely ignored in climate policy and finance. Globally, over 120 million girls are out of school, most of them in low-income, climate-vulnerable countries. Many face systemic barriers such as poverty, child marriage, and early pregnancy—barriers that worsen in the face of climate disruption. Education equips girls with the tools to advocate for their rights and make informed decisions about their lives. Studies consistently show that increased access to education lowers early marriage and early-teen pregnancy rates, which in turn positively influence long-term emissions pathways. Despite this robust evidence, climate financing mechanisms have overlooked girls’ education because its impact has been difficult to quantify in terms of tons of CO₂. As a result, a major opportunity to advance both climate mitigation and human rights has been left untapped. SoGreen addresses this gap by introducing a way to measure this impact and channel climate finance directly into the work of local organizations ensuring girls stay in school.

SoGreen has developed the world’s first methodology to generate carbon credits from the climate impact of increasing girls’ secondary education. Our solution enables climate finance to support local organizations that work to keep girls in school. We use a custom-built microsimulation model to quantify how access to education reduces rates of early marriage and early-teen pregnancy—outcomes that significantly influence long-term greenhouse gas emissions. For every ton of CO₂-equivalent emissions avoided, one high-integrity carbon credit is generated. These credits are sold to companies seeking ambitious climate action with measurable social co-benefits. Revenue from the pre-sale of credits is used to fund the continuation and expansion of education-focused projects in low-income settings. SoGreen does not implement projects directly. Instead, we act as an enabler and partner—providing the scientific backbone, methodology, and monitoring tools that make it possible for civil society organizations to access carbon markets and receive long-term, predictable climate finance for their work. Our solution turns widely accepted science into action: it makes the climate benefits of girls’ education measurable, financeable, and scalable.

Our solution directly serves girls in marginalized communities in low-income countries who are at risk of dropping out before completing secondary school. These girls often face structural barriers such as poverty, early marriage, early pregnancy, and limited access to safe learning environments. Their right to education is denied not because of a lack of ambition or ability, but because systems around them fail to support their path. By helping ensure they stay in school, our solution protects their human rights and supports their ability to make informed decisions about their futures—whether that’s when to marry, if or when to start a family, or how to pursue a livelihood. Education increases their agency, confidence, and long-term opportunities. The solution also serves local civil society organizations, which gain a new, predictable source of funding for their education projects through climate finance. Indirectly, it serves companies seeking credible, high-impact carbon credits that align with the Sustainable Development Goals and equity-focused climate action. By connecting these stakeholders, SoGreen shifts the landscape—making girls’ education both a funded priority and a recognized climate solution.