Carbon Justice Campaign
Drawing on experience responding to carbon projects in 21 countries, our global network has united around 6 principles necessary to make carbon projects fair.
Put simply, carbon payments cannot be a substitute for reducing avoidable emissions. And all carbon projects must respect the rights and leadership of the communities on whose land they take place.
What we are Fighting for: Carbon Justice Principles
No Pay to Pollute
Carbon payments must not be a substitute for eliminating avoidable emissions.
Fossil fuel companies should be barred from taking part in carbon payment schemes.
Respect Community Rights to Land and Water
Recognize the use and ownership rights of communities, including customary rights, irrespective of whether a community holds legal title to the land.
Work with legitimate community governance structures, rather than setting up bespoke, hand-picked committees.
Free, Prior, and Informed Consent
No carbon projects should exist without a robust and meaningful Free, Prior, Informed Consent (FPIC) of the communities whose land is in question. This includes a community’s right to say no.
FPIC means all residents can take part in decision-making, including women, land users, youth, and other groups.
“Informed” means disclosing to communities, among other things, all the actors involved, as well as gross revenue and other financial information throughout the lifecycle of the project.
Fair Compensation
For nature-based projects, the communities whose land it is should receive at least 50% of gross revenue.
Communities should be able to determine how that money is spent, e.g. on what sorts of development projects.
Fair Participation
Enable communities to lead the work of stewardship, including accessing opportunities for training and employment.
Ensure communities have access to independent legal support before and during a project.
Community members should be able to exercise their rights without fear of reprisal.
Allow community activities which do not affect carbon storage, e.g. the harvesting of non-timber forest products.
Make it easier for communities to access carbon payments directly, without intermediaries.
Enforcement
All of these principles need to be enforced. Governments and certification bodies should ensure robust oversight and accountability.
When carbon projects violate these principles or otherwise go wrong, there should be clear channels by which communities can pursue a remedy.
Join the Campaign!
Stories from the Frontlines
We are a network of justice groups from over 150 countries. In recent years, many of us have found ourselves helping our communities respond to carbon projects. Drawing on those experiences, we came together for a multi-month learning exchange involving 18 groups from 11 countries. The Carbon Justice Principles emerged from this learning exchange and similar discussions.
Our campaign is rooted in these stories:
This is a carousel with auto-rotating slides. Hover to pause or use the pause play buttons bellow the slide show. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide.
Iris Olivera on the social impact of carbon markets: ”There are a lot of impacts when a carbon project enters a community. But perhaps what is most important is that the markets are creating fragments in communities. This social impact is a terrible one, and is creating a lot of divisions inside a community.”
“All we know as Indigenous Peoples is that you’re receiving money from carbon [markets]. We do not know how our livelihoods and lifestyles will be affected. And so we went out to the communities – three teams training in the local language and breaking down technical processes so people can understand. The world is moving and changing, so we all have to learn how these changes will impact our lives as Indigenous Peoples.”
Immaculata Casimero
Wapichan Wiizi Women’s Movement
“Kenya is putting legal structures in place to manage carbon markets and it’s happening in our communities…the network itself is creating space for us to learn about the emerging issues that are helping us, and of course it also goes back to the communities.”
Elijah Lempaira
Program Officer, IMPACT KENYA
“We don’t want to commercialize nature. Our lifestyles shouldn’t have to change for the sake of a few people.”
Grace Appolos Appolus
We the People
“In my experience and understanding, some laws do not recognize indigenous ownership in forest conservation. [We need to know] how indigenous communities living inside forests can actually engage in carbon markets, keeping in mind that these forests are their ancestral lands.”
Read the Full Recap Here.
Yator Kiptum
on Indigenous Peoples’ role in carbon markets, in one of the virtual learning sessions on carbon rights at our learning exchange
Where We Are Taking the Fight
We will campaign fiercely to bring the Carbon Justice Principles to life at the community, national, and global levels. The Principles should be incorporated into national legislation and market standards. Every carbon project should abide by them.
Community
We are developing tools to support communities in their negotiations with carbon project developers. In the meantime, these guidebooks on community-led negotiations can serve as reliable resources.
National
From Peru to Kenya to the Philippines, countries with carbon-rich landscapes are quickly adopting new legislation to govern carbon projects in their countries. We are advocating for national laws and policies to incorporate the Carbon Justice Principles. The principles are essential to sustain the value of carbon credits and avoid human rights violations.
Global
To transform the flawed carbon markets, we are demanding changes in the global framework. This includes advocating for safeguards within the UNFCCC Article 6 and influencing other standards
Resources
Roundtable Report: Carbon Markets, Nature, Rights and Climate Justice
“A historic and rapid transformation of nature credit and offset markets is underway. Estimates of nature credit market growth vary widely and the market continues to be volatile, with some estimates predicting that the carbon market alone is expected to scale to $50B by 2030 and $4T by 2050. Meanwhile, more than two thirds of countries are planning to use carbon markets to meet nationally determined contributions.”
Carbon Markets, Forests and Rights: An Introductory Series for Indigenous Peoples and Communities
“For decades, indigenous peoples and their representatives have demanded that all policies, funding and initiatives aimed at addressing the climate crisis must respect and protect their rights, cultures, livelihoods and knowledge. They have insisted on being treated as central actors – and as rights holders – in the design and implementation of climate solutions.”
Carbon Markets and Our Rights: A Guide for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities
“To support Indigenous communities and local communities to better understand carbon markets, Rainforest Foundation US has launched a six-part animated series to demystify the market and provide communities with the essential information to protect their rights.”
Carbon Offsets and Trading in Liberia: How to Respond when a Carbon Trader Visits your Community
“Carbon is in almost everything: the air, plants, animals, and anything that burns, including trees, charcoal and bush. It’s concentrated in oils and fuels like gasoline and kerosine which come from plant material left deep underground for millions of years.”
Kenya’s Indigenous Ogiek Evicted from Ancestral Lands for Carbon Credits
“In Kenya, a plan to save forests and fight climate change is being linked to the removal of indigenous people from their homes. The Ogiek community have lived in the Mau Forest for generations. But they now find themselves on the wrong side of forest restoration efforts and say rangers from Kenya Forest Service are destroying their houses, leaving them displaced and destitute. DW’s Felix Maringa reports from Sasimwani village in the Mau Forest complex.”
How Agrarian Reform and Land Ownership Can Safeguard Human Rights
“Ang Istorya sang Pagbag-o (Stories of Change) is a series of videos showcasing women leading the fight for agrarian reform.”
Carbon Markets 101: The Ultimate Guide to Market-Based Climate Mechanisms
“This guide gives an introduction to the current state of international carbon credit markets. It lays out key elements of the newly established markets under the Paris Agreement, and the functioning of the voluntary carbon market, which operates outside of the UN system. It concludes with a discussion of the role of these mechanisms in climate action, and how they should and should not be used.”
When Carbon Markets go Wrong: What Access to Remedy Might Look Like for Communities in the Global Carbon Market System
“Hear from communities impacted by carbon markets and experts in grievance mechanism design, the webinar will highlight the key features necessary for accessible, dependable, and credible grievance mechanisms. The discussion will offer critical input to the proposed grievance mechanism for markets established under Article 6.4 of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement.”