Indigenous Leaders at COP31 Warn Carbon Markets Threaten Land Rights and Livelihoods
During COP31 in Turkey, indigenous representatives and climate experts voiced concerns that carbon trading schemes risk reinforcing colonial land systems, excluding women from decision-making, and undermining community control over ancestral territories. Discussions at the Indigenous Peoples’ Pavilion, involving representatives from Africa, Asia, and other regions, questioned the effectiveness of carbon markets in delivering meaningful climate action. They argued that these mechanisms might instead create new avenues for corporate control over indigenous lands under the guise of environmental protection. The panel, including Edward Rockwaro, Tunga Rai, Eliza Morguera, Rosalia Harmona, and Stefan Torcel, examined the implications of carbon trading, particularly under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, on communities whose livelihoods and cultural identities are deeply connected to land, forests, and natural ecosystems. A central concern is that carbon markets primarily value nature for its carbon storage cap...
