Christ the Redeemer Signs Climate Certification Deal

Overview

• The Santuário do Cristo Redentor signed a certification term with Green Initiative International on Friday, launching work to measure greenhouse gas emissions linked to visitor operations and to map carbon stored in the surrounding Atlantic Forest.
• Green Initiative will provide technical support and seek financing for mitigation measures at no cost to the Santuário, with the aim of preparing a climate diagnosis that can feed a formal mitigation and action plan.
• The Santuário also formalized a twinning agreement with Machu Picchu’s managers on Friday to exchange sustainable-tourism practices, promote the sites jointly, and coordinate cultural and social actions.
• The move responds to intense visitor pressure after a record 2025 season of about 1.5 million tourists and single-day peaks that increase emissions and stress local infrastructure and ecosystems.
• Next steps include field data collection, carbon accounting and drafting the mitigation plan, outcomes that could set a precedent for religious tourist sites seeking certified carbon-neutral or climate-positive status and that will be followed to see what funding and measures are implemented.