Indigenous communities often excluded from climate projects like carbon credits despite land rights

A new article highlights how climate change efforts, including carbon credit projects, frequently exclude Indigenous people who have lived on and protected the land for generations. The Ogiek people in Kenya's Mau forest face eviction again, this time justified by carbon credit schemes that treat the forest as a commercial resource. Despite a 2017 court victory recognizing their land rights, the Kenyan government began evictions in 2023. The core issue is that the principle of free, prior and informed consent under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples remains largely unenforceable. Governments and corporations often consult Indigenous groups too late or not at all, as seen with the Arctic Ice Project. Research shows community-led conservation is more effective, but financial pressures and weak regulations push Indigenous voices aside.