The Amazonians speak out

I wrote recently of California’s declaration to allow tropical forestry carbon offsets so that California businesses wouldn’t  have to actually reduce their emissions, but I suggested that guilt-laden Californians could  be doing more harm than good. The countries where they will supposedly be investing in forests have proven records for corruption.

I now feel vindicated. Reuters Africa reports that yesterday at the EU climate talks:

Brazil ruled out on Thursday letting rich countries offset their greenhouse gas emissions by helping to save the Amazon rain forest, an idea under active discussion by the European Union.

Indigenous peoples attending United Nations-led climate talks in Poznan protested that they had no chance of seeing such carbon cash, and appealed instead for money first to root out corruption and cement their land rights…

Some indigenous peoples groups oppose a carbon market approach until their tenure rights are made secure, fearing the lure of billions of dollars may trigger a land grab instead.

I guess they don’t want Nature Conservancy et al buying up their lands and profiting the corrupt in their countries.