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.
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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.”