# Google, Microsoft buy carbon credits from invasive tree project 2026-08-12T17:25:35+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Google bought 1,00,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide removal credits in January 2025 from Varaha ClimateAg, a Gurugram startup producing biochar from the invasive Prosopis juliflora tree in Kachchh, Gujarat. Microsoft, Lufthansa, Swiss Re and Capgemini have also signed deals. Biochar is meant to store carbon in soil for centuries, but Mongabay-India’s field reporting found that in Sangnara village, biochar has been lying uncovered for two years without being mixed into the ground. A contractor reported that burying it near the invasive tree actually helped the weed regrow. Varaha says its systems prevent credits being issued for unmixed biochar. The Banni grassland has lost 85% of its fodder since Prosopis invaded in the 1960s. ## Coverage - india.mongabay.com Tags: biochar, carbon credits, ecosystem restoration, invasive species, kachchh, prosopis juliflora Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/google-microsoft-buy-carbon-credits-from-invasive-tree-project/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/google-microsoft-buy-carbon-credits-from-invasive-tree-project/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.