Tianjing village in Cangnan county, Wenzhou, is nested among lush mountains. [Photo/66wz.com]
Villagers in Tianjing, a remote mountain village in Wenzhou's Cangnan county, are earning income by selling forest carbon credits right from their phones, local media outlets reported.
Through Wenzhou's new forest carbon credit mini-program on WeChat, China's most popular instant messaging app, companies, institutions, and individuals can purchase carbon credits for environmental offset or donation, with funds going directly to village accounts.
Tianjing village recently received nearly 50,000 yuan ($6,969.5) from a single transaction, used by a third party for ecological damage compensation. With over 2,900 metric tons of carbon credit available, the village could earn up to 300,000 yuan in total — boosting income beyond what is possible from sources such as homestays.
The platform, launched this year, supports real-time transactions and has five modules including "carbon neutrality" and "ecological restoration". So far, 20 low-income mountain villages have been included, offering over 120,000 tons of carbon credits. More than 1,500 tons have been sold to date, generating about 157,000 yuan in village income.
Wenzhou's initiative transforms ecological value into shared wealth — making forests profitable while promoting carbon neutrality.
