Indigenous and Pacific communities are pushing for a bigger say in how global carbon markets work, according to a new analysis from ABC Religion & Ethics. The piece draws on a University of Queensland workshop that brought together project practitioners from Australia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to discuss successes and failures in community-led carbon finance. The article highlights the Kabi Kabi blue carbon project in Queensland, the first registered under Australia's ACCU scheme, plus forest carbon projects like Babatana in Solomon Islands and Loru in Vanuatu. These examples show how carbon revenue can support education, water, sanitation and small businesses, but they also expose the heavy compliance burden that international verification places on small communities. A key takeaway is the risk that stricter carbon market rules could price out the very projects that need support. The authors argue that carbon credits must not become a licence for polluters to delay the fossil fuel phase-out, and that Indigenous rights and decision-making authority need to be central as Pacific nations move toward Article 6 trading.
