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Clean water for the climate

June 12, 2012

In Kenya, water filters are helping protect forests. Firewood is no longer needed to boil water.

https://p.dw.com/p/15CcM
A girl draws water from a pump
Clean and safe drinking water remains a luxury in parts of the worldImage: John Broemstrup / Viva con Agua

Clean drinking water in Kenya

Project type: saving carbon emissions
CO2 savings: 2.7 million tons each year
Project reach: 4.5 million people
Duration: 10 years
Investment: $30 million

Climate protection projects are especially successful if all stakeholders stand to benefit. Reporter Grit Hofmann takes us to Kenya to show us just one such example. The Vestergaard Frandsen company has distributed almost a million of its LifeStraw water filters in Kenya. The devices help purify drinking water. Now, families no longer have to boil the water over a fire, meaning they consume much less wood. That in turn is helping slow the rapid rate of deforestation in Kenya. For its climate contribution, Vestergaard Frandsen can sell CO2 emissions certificates and earn money. It’s a win-win situation for residents, the company and Kenya’s forests.

A film by Grit Hofmann