This policy paper examines how land-based carbon credit schemes can displace local communities and Indigenous peoples, particularly in areas with contested land tenure. Drawing on cases from Kenya, Indonesia and Peru, it argues for integrating conflict sensitivity and equity considerations into the design of climate mitigation interventions.
While human mobility dynamics have been relatively well-explored in the context of voluntary migration as a form of climate adaptation, less attention has been paid to the mobility impacts associated with climate mitigation strategies. However, issues have already arisen: a review of worldwide carbon offsetting projects from 2018 to 2023 found that 70% of the projects had evidence of harming Indigenous peoples and local communities.
This policy paper aims to fill this gap by looking at the case of land-based carbon credit schemes, which are growing in prevalence as a climate change mitigation approach globally. It argues for the need to integrate conflict sensitivity into the design of climate mitigation interventions by exploring how improperly managed carbon credit schemes can displace local communities and Indigenous peoples, especially in areas with contested land tenure.
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