India's carbon credit market needs evidence before scaling: Lessons from failed projects
idronline.orgA new article from India Development Review argues that India's carbon credit market must prioritize evidence and community consent before it scales. The authors point to global failures where carbon credits were issued without delivering real emission reductions. A 2024 study in Nature Communications found that less than 16% of nearly one billion tonnes of examined credits represented actual cuts. Specific cases like the Kariba REDD+ project in Zimbabwe and rejected rice cultivation projects in China show how weak baselines and poor monitoring can inflate credits. The Northern Kenya Grassland Carbon Project was reinstated only after a community ratification process involving about 1,500 people. The article warns that technical methodologies cannot replace lawful land tenure and participation. For India's growing carbon market, the message is clear: feasibility checks must come before credit forecasts. Without rigorous evidence and community governance, the market risks repeating the same mistakes that have undermined carbon markets elsewhere.