On 13 October, Cambodia underlined its plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 while creating half a million jobs and increasing GDP by 3%: forest conservation. To save the country’s forests, the government intends to cut deforestation by 50% this decade via a massive scale-up of the UN’s so-called ‘REDD+’ projects. As a community-based model, REDD+ schemes ensure local communities protecting their forests receive direct investment that finances sustainable livelihoods, negating the need to deforest for subsistence or profit – a devil’s deal facing forest dwellers across the Global South.
“Many Cambodians live close to forests, where for generations they have been dependent on forest resources for their livelihoods, living sustainably and in harmony with the forests around them,” said Cambodia’s Minister of Environment, Say Samal, in a recent Innovation Forum webinar. “In order to protect our culture and precious resources, we have planned for continuing economic growth and prosperity for our people while also protecting our country’s forests.”
Across the world, private investors, governments, NGOs and businesses are increasingly purchasing carbon credits from REDD+ and other offsets projects to negate their own emissions – but this increased interest from international carbon markets comes with risks. Forest offsetting schemes are often found on land belonging to indigenous or local communities whose rights have not been secured, putting their well-being at risk – as well as threatening the future of carbon markets themselves.
An indigenous Maasai tribesman watching over the skyline of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. (Photo by Lost Horizon Images via Getty Images)
At COP27, some of the most pressing discussions revolve around Article 6 and the future governance of carbon markets. Atop that agenda is how to ensure carbon markets help, rather than hinder, indigenous land rights.
Carbon markets and indigenous communities: Forest stewards
Carbon markets are the trading systems by which countries, companies and individuals can buy or sell units of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. They are a conduit for carbon offsetting, the notion of compensating for emissions in one location by cutting emissions in another. For instance, a German steel manufacturer relying on coal power might buy