Module 4: What does it mean to have a just national carbon policy?

While getting a fair and strong project agreement is critical for individual deals, national rules about carbon can influence what is possible for projects across a country. In many countries, national law is responsible for setting up the rules for land tenure, which can underpin who has the rights to be part of a project discussion. National rules can also establish baselines for fairness for revenues sharing, grievance mechanisms, and consultation.

As many countries see carbon markets as a pathway to get climate financing, there is a rush to quickly draft national legislation. Because there is external pressure to move quickly, whether these laws reflect the needs of communities impacted by carbon projects often depends on those communities advocating for themselves.

In this module, you will learn more about how national rules are related to carbon projects, what rules to look out for, and how to organize to influence those rules. We will continue to use the Carbon Justice Principles to underpin the discussions.