Published: October 7, 2024
BUCHANAN — Civil society organizations and communities met in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, on Friday, September 20, 2024, to deliberate on the potential opportunities and challenges of carbon offsets as a framework for emissions reduction, and issued a joint nine-count resolution.
These land and natural resource-based organizations and forest communities, deeply rooted in forest landscapes, gathered together with a united voice. They stood as custodians of the forests; their resolve was steadfast as they issued the nine-count resolution on carbon trading and offsetting.
This declaration carries the hopes of their communities and Liberia as a nation. The forests of Liberia have always been both a source of food and protection for its people. Residents of forest communities celebrate these towering trees, which provide them shelter, food, and livelihoods. But as whispers of carbon trading and offsetting grow louder, a sense of restlessness has settled upon these communities that have long coexisted with nature in a delicate balance.
In a gathering that brought together women and youth, community leaders, environmental advocates, and organizations, the nine-count resolution was revealed as evidence of their collective wisdom and shared vision for the future.
Each count spoke to a different aspect of their concerns and aspirations, echoing the voices of the forests.
The first count emphasized the need for the government to formulate a comprehensive policy and law to provide the regulatory and legal framework to govern carbon emissions linked to all the sectors identified in the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).
They also want the government to explore other options and assess the benefits of climate financing based on stewardship and improved forest management rather than prioritizing carbon trading.
Another count calls for the formulation of the policy and law on carbon to take an integrated approach and involve the sectoral agencies identified in the NDC. The process for developing the policy and law on carbon should be conducted in a transparent and participatory manner that reflects the voices of diverse stakeholders, particularly CSOs and forest communities who depend on the forest for their livelihoods.
It stated that the policy and law should clearly distinguish different types of carbon and ownership thereof, and specifically identify communities as the owners of carbon stored in forests on their customary land.
Among other things, the document emphasized that the policy and law should clearly define a benefit-sharing scheme to protect women and children, based on lessons learned from the implementation of current laws in the forest sector.
It called on the government to exercise due diligence in the formulation of the carbon policy and law to prevent individuals and institutions that have demonstrated vested interests in carbon trading. A rigorous assessment should be conducted to determine the potential impacts of carbon trading on the livelihoods of communities and climate change mitigation efforts. The formulation of carbon policy and law should identify and address gaps in the current legal and regulatory framework of the natural resource sector.
The gathering was organized by the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) in collaboration with the Foundation for Community Initiatives (FCI).
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