From Sustainable Rice to Blockchain Technology: Two PAA Impact Projects Shaping the Future of Climate Action

Decarbonising Rice – A Scientific Breakthrough for Sustainable Farming

The Breakthrough Scientific Contribution Award honours climate and nature initiatives that are pioneering transformative scientific advancements and fostering collaboration across diverse stakeholders. This year’s winner, Decarbonising Rice, tackles one of agriculture’s most pressing environmental challenges: methane emissions from rice farming.

Rice, a dietary staple in Asia, contributes approximately 10% of global methane emissions, with traditional farming practices further strained by extreme weather events. These dual challenges jeopardise both environment sustainability and farmer livelihoods.

TLL’s innovative approach integrates three core strategies:

1. Sustainable water management: Controlled irrigation techniques, such as drip technology, reduce methane emissions, optimise water and fertiliser usage, and enhance grain yield.
2. Soil microbiome management: Customised fertigation techniques minimise methane production by reducing field over-flooding, improving soil health and boosting yields.
3. Climate-resilient varieties: The development of rice strains with traits like drought and submergence tolerance, disease resistance, lower methane flux, and a high harvest index ensures sustainable production in the face of a changing climate.

Trials in Singapore and India have demonstrated the project's potential to reduce methane emissions by 20–50%, decrease water usage by 50%, and improve yields by 5–10%. With 100-hectare trials now underway in India, Laos, and Indonesia, the project is scaling its impact regionally.

“The solution isn’t just about changing farming practices—it’s about using science to uncover the solutions embedded in nature and translating these discoveries through working closely with local farming communities to benefit the environment, empower farmers, and bring lasting positive impact to the wider community. At TLL, we believe that rice can nourish more than just bodies—it can fuel a sustainable future for generations to come,” said Peter Chia, CEO of TLL.

By combining scientific advancements with cross-sector collaboration among farmers, governments, and private entities, Decarbonising Rice exemplifies the systemic solutions needed to combat climate change while uplifting farming communities.

CAD Trust – Building Transparency in Global Carbon Markets

The Moving Force in Business Award recognises partnership-driven, cross-sector business solutions that have the potential to transform whole sectors, industries or markets. A finalist in this category, CAD Trust aims to revolutionise the carbon market industry by addressing inefficiencies, improving access to data, and enhancing transparency through blockchain technology.

Carbon credit markets are essential to scaling climate finance and achieving decarbonisation goals. Yet, they are decentralised – with over 50 crediting programmes worldwide, many countries launching various national schemes, and the ramp-up of global mechanisms under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement.

In this fragmented space, information is hard to find and use, with inconsistent data provision by multiple actors further undermining efficiency and credibility. CAD Trust addresses these challenges by advancing a public good data model for carbon credit markets, harmonising and aggregating data on carbon credits using blockchain technology, and fostering accountability, interoperability and collaboration in the space.

The initiative focuses on:

1. Improving data access: Aggregating and harmonising information from ten major carbon credit registries, including Verra and Gold Standard, which accounts for over 90% of issued carbon credits.
2. Supporting efficient accounting: Establishing a consistent digital record of market activity, and supporting the development of common practices on data provision in alignment with global market and policy needs. 
3. Enhancing transparency and integrity: Unlocking the potential of carbon markets to serve as effective climate finance instruments through public good use cases, thereby improving access to information, efficiency, and trust.

“To scale carbon markets as a trusted climate finance instrument, we need credible and accurate accounting of the emissions impact and credit use. This is currently hard to do, with data on carbon credits scattered across different registries in various formats. CAD Trust is pioneering efforts to develop a common language for carbon markets and enhance the transparency and connectivity of global data systems in the space to solve these challenges, ultimately helping deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement.” said Federico Di Credico, Interim CEO of CAD Trust.

By addressing the systemic inefficiencies in carbon markets and fostering sector-wide collaboration, CAD Trust exemplifies transformative innovation. Its work not only strengthens the credibility of carbon markets but also catalyses broader industry innovation, paving the way for scalable and sustainable climate solutions.