The Walt Disney Co said on Tuesday it will invest $7 million in forest conservation projects in the Amazon, Congo and United States as part of its effort to reduce emissions, waste and energy use as a corporation.
Disney pledged earlier this year to cut its carbon emissions from fuels by half by 2012, and ultimately to achieve net zero direct greenhouse gas emissions at its office and retail complexes, theme parks and cruise lines.
In addition to cutting consumption and replacing high-carbon fuels with low-carbon alternatives, the company said it would use "high-quality offsets" -- such as conservation projects -- to get to zero net direct emissions.
The donation, made in partnership with several conservation groups, is one of the largest by a single corporation and will help combat climate change and improve local conditions for people and wildlife, Peter Seligmann, chief executive and chairman of Conservation International said in a statement.
Disney's move comes as U.S. lawmakers face pressure to cut greenhouse gas emissions ahead of an international summit on global warming convenes in Copenhagen in December.
The Disney funds benefit the Tayna and Kisimba-Ikobo Community Reserves in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the Alta Mayo conservation project in Peru, as well as reforestation in the U.S. Lower Mississippi Delta and forest management efforts in North California.
Partners include the Conservation International, the Nature Conservancy and the Conservation Fund.
