The failures and crimes of carbon trading

October 16th, 2009

This week both The Washington Post and Greenpeace reported on the failure of the Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. This decade old “carbon offset” forest project in Bolivia demonstrates that “carbon trading” and other market mechanisms (CDM, REDD, cap and trade, so forth) will not effectively slow the burning of fossil fuels. These financial instruments are scams, frauds, and human rights violations.

This is not really news. Indigenous people from the forests of the world have been denouncing carbon markets since they were first introduced.* These critiques were brought before national and United Nations policy makers over and over and over, and, were essentially censored. Last month, The Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) released a report that details the crimes of REDD and other carbon trading mechanisms. And, frankly, failure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is the least of the crimes.

Unfortunately, both the current UNFCCC COP15 meetings and the bills (ACESA, Boxer-Kerry) being considered in US congress lean heavily toward carbon trading and other false solutions.
Short-sighted financial tricks will only prolong and impoverish the road to sustainability. The longer the deceits block the way forward; the more strange, unrecognizable, and uncomfortable the inevitably sustainable future.

The Indigenous Environmental Network REDD Report

Washington Post Article

Greenpeace Report pdf

*Collection of historic declarations containing statements against so-called market solutions: