Carbon Markets
The Paris Agreement sought to expand ‘international cooperation for mitigation action’. What we got instead was an almost exclusive focus on building carbon markets, for countries and corporations. Voluntary carbon markets meanwhile struggle with credibility – having consistently enabled much higher emission levels than the carbon quantities retired.
CLARA has tracked these ‘market mechanisms’ in the decade since Paris. Pages linked here bring you up-to-date on what’s going on with the market mechanisms in Paris Agreement Article 6, in the voluntary carbon markets.
Countries swapping carbon credits
Offsets, but not emissions reductions
Where did ‘Integrity’ go?
Engaging Local Communities
There is a serious shortage of information available to local organizations about carbon markets and carbon crediting proposals. CLARA members and allies working with indigenous federations and frontline forest communities repeatedly hear that the only information given about a proposed carbon crediting project has come from the project proponents themselves.
CLARA prepared these handouts to stimulate community discussion of carbon markets:
Alleged Rights Violations
Journalists have also documented the failure to provide information and seek consent from impacted peoples. The fossil-fuel companies Shell, Total Energies, and Hess have bought carbon credits from projects implicated in serious rights violations:
Storyboard: Illustrating the Challenges
Developed by CLARA and Global Forest Coalition.
