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EcoSec Yahoo case study 07/11/07Yahoo!’s objective 
In April 2007, Yahoo! announced its decision to
become a carbon neutral organisation. In order to
achieve this, they are changing their internal energy
consumption practices alongside investing in
greenhouse gas emission reduction projects. 
Yahoo! wanted to support projects that met their
criteria and provided the best fit for Yahoo!’s overall
objectives – this included investing in projects located
in areas of the world where Yahoo! has a presence. 
Yahoo!’s other criteria for investing in emission
reduction projects included:
Measurable results
They wanted to see real, measurable, direct
emissions reductions.
Verification
Yahoo! wanted their projects to be screened 
through a third-party verification process to 
ensure they are actually delivering their expected
environmental benefits.
Additionality
Yahoo! wanted to ensure that their investments
supported projects that go beyond the business 
as usual scenario, and help to develop the use of
clean energy in regions where coal and diesel are 
the standard approach to providing power.
High quality
Yahoo! looked for projects with strong environmental
returns and also helped other businesses and
consumers build faith in this new and emerging 
offset market.
Working with EcoSecurities
After reviewing over 100 projects and undertaking
much due diligence, Yahoo! decided to offset part of 
its 250 thousand metric ton carbon footprint from
2006 using pre-registration VERs from EcoSecurities’
Primavera hydropower project, located near Catorce
de Abril, a small village in the state of Rondonia, 1,400
miles northwest of Sao Paulo. Primavera is a small 
run-of-river dam, which means it uses natural flow and
elevation drop to generate electricity.
Although hydropower is common in Brazil as a whole,
much of this region receives its power from state-
subsidised diesel plants, therefore investing in a clean
power project here seemed to be a critical and timely
decision for Yahoo!  
VER transaction case study: Yahoo!
For more information on Yahoo's 
carbon neutral programme, please visit
http://brand.yahoo.com/forgood/
environment/carbon_neutral.html 
EcoSecurities UK Office 1st Floor, Park Central
40-41 Park End Street
Oxford. OX1 1JD
Tel: +44 1865 202 635
Fax: +44 1865 251 438
Email: uk@ecosecurities.com
Chris Page, Director of Climate and Energy, Yahoo!
“When Yahoo! committed to going carbon neutral in
April, we knew it would be a global initiative. We wanted
to set a strong standard for approaching this emerging
marketplace and developed this checklist to guide us:
• Support high-quality carbon offset projects in 
areas where Yahoo! has a local presence.
• Find uniquely Yahoo! ways to give back to the
communities that benefit from our projects.
• Ensure that the projects we support are verifiable.
• Be as transparent as possible about our process.
After much due diligence, Yahoo! decided to offset 
part of its carbon footprint from 2006 through an
EcoSecurities hydropower project in rural Brazil. So, 
on my first day as Yahoo!’s director of climate and 
energy strategy – before moving my belongings from 
my life in Colorado – I found myself on a plane headed 
for Western Brazil – and things haven’t slowed down
much since then!”