Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has directed authorities to prepare an action plan to increase the country's carbon credits by reducing emissions and tapping the international carbon market. The article argues that for carbon trading to work, projects must be transparent, locally led, and based on genuine emission reductions that benefit communities directly. It warns against measuring success by initial tree planting numbers and instead calls for survival rates, named caretakers, and incentive systems for students and villages. The piece focuses on mangrove carbon projects under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and the government's tree planting and canal excavation programmes. It stresses that community participation is not optional. Each project should publish benefit-sharing plans in Bangla, set up local grievance desks, include community representatives in monitoring, and clearly disclose how much carbon revenue returns to the area. Without local stewardship, carbon credits risk becoming a system where outsiders measure trees and sell credits while coastal communities see little return.
