New York City (April 30, 2024) – In a historic first, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples and Amnesty International joined Indigenous Peoples in denouncing carbon markets and their human rights violations, which include the International Monetary Fund putting whales into the carbon market.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Francisco Cali Tzay agreed that a “moratorium on carbon markets would be a good way to stop human rights violations caused by carbon markets.” Amnesty International concurred noting that “polluters can use [carbon markets] to offset – rather than actually reduce – their greenhouse gas emissions by buying carbon credits for schemes involving Indigenous Peoples’ lands.”
Indigenous Peoples Defend Whales and their Territories against the Blue Economy and Carbon Colonialism
Indigenous Peoples’ terrestrial and marine territories include 80% of the world’s biodiversity, which is coveted by governments, conservation groups and industry for carbon credits, biodiversity credits and extractivism. Grabbing Indigenous Peoples’ land and territories for carbon markets is part of a phenomenon known as carbon colonialism.
Left to Right: Iniquilipi Chiari, Shem Livai, Casey Camp-Horinek, and Panganga Pungowiyi. Photo: Julie Horinek
Carbon Markets Expanding into Oceans
Carbon markets have recently begun expanding into oceans. Since whales’ bodies temporarily absorb carbon dioxide, the International Monetary Fund, infamous for imposing draconian terms on developing countries to pay their foreign debt that result in misery and death, contends that whales can generate carbon credits and are “Nature’s solutions to climate change.”
Recognizing that “for Indigenous Peoples, whales are their brothers and sisters,” the UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples rejected whale offsets and affirmed that “polluters must not use whales as a ‘tool’ to absorb their pollution.”
Polluters must not use whales as a ‘tool’ to absorb their pollution.
– Francisco Cali Tzay, UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples
“Whales are sacred relatives, not sponges for corporate pollution"
Panganga Pungowiyi of Alaska, an expert on false solutions to the climate emergency with Indigenous Environmental Network explained that
whales are sacred relatives, not sponges for corporate pollution. We defend whales and our territories from the land grabs and ocean grabs of the IMF, the so-called Blue Economy and carbon colonialism. The theft of indigenous lands and oceans for offsets is simply continuing the colonial legacy. We know that the commodification of any Life form truly means we are commodifying all life forms. We are not separate. We are connected. When the whales die, we die. False solutions such as carbon market schemes continue the legacy of using indigenous lands, oceans, bodies, forests and air as sacrifice zones. Now the IMF and companies are pushing to use whales as offsets. These offsets violate our sacred relationship with whales just as forest offsets violate our sacred relationships with our forests. This also becomes a property right issue. This is both a land and an ocean grab. Keep in mind that for-profit companies are still permitted to mine and drill on offset lands.
False solutions such as carbon market schemes continue the legacy of using indigenous lands, oceans, bodies, forests and air as sacrifice zones.
– Panganga Pungowiyi of Indigenous Environmental Network
Linking Whale Offsets to the Colonial Legacy of Nuclear Bomb Testing
Shem Livai, PhD candidate of the Marshall Islands linked whale offsets to the colonial legacy of nuclear bomb testing in the Marshall Islands, where the United States “conducted 67 nuclear tests from 1946 to 1958 – the equivalent to over 7,200 Hiroshima-sized atomic bombs.”
According to Mr. Livai,
Today, a new but no less destructive colonialism threatens our seas and our ways of life under the guise of environmental conservation. Whale and animal offsets, a concept marketed as a solution to the climate crisis, propose that protecting whales or other animals can compensate for carbon emissions elsewhere. Whale offsets commodifies these sacred beings into mere carbon units and transactions and poses a direct threat to their survival and our culture.
Mr. Livai shared that
In the Marshall Islands, whales are not just animals; they are ancestors, guides, and symbols of wisdom and connectivity. There is a story that has been passed down through generations of a whale that saved our island during a great famine by guiding fish into the nets of starving fishermen. This reflects a deep, respectful relationship with marine life, emphasizing coexistence and mutual survival.
The Environmental Genocide of Extractive Industries
Casey Camp-Horinek, Ambassador the Environment of the Ponca Nation warned that carbon trading is a false solution [to the climate emergency] and part of the “environmental genocide of extractive industries.” She also noted that carbon trading such as whale offsets, which “buys and sells Life itself” goes against Natural Law and risks “killing all generations to come.” Casey Camp-Horinek also stated that Indigenous Peoples oppose carbon trading because “we are nature protecting itself.”
Turning Elephants into Commodities
In addition to whales, the International Monetary Fund is also promoting the use of elephants for carbon credits. Adam Kuleit Ole Mwarabu Lemareka of the Parakuiyo Maasai People of Tanzania explained that elephants are sacred and symbolize dominance of the savanna.
Elephants tell us about the winds, the seasons and the where to find water and pasture. We follow the elephants. They are part of our seasonal calendar. Now elephants are being confined to national parks but they don’t stay there, they like to be free and follow us where we are. In the Maa language, there is a saying Ebor ena Olchang’ito which means be polite like an elephant and promote peaceful coexistence. However, protected areas and new concepts of conservation infuriate elephants. Elephants in the carbon market and turning elephants into commodities for ecosystem system services creates a concept contrary to our Maasai People. Elephant offsets disrespects our ancestral relationship with elephants.
– Adam Kuleit, Ole Mwarabu Lemareka of the Parakuiyo Maasai People of Tanzania
Banning REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degredation)
Similarly, Iniquilipi Chiari, founder of the Guna Youth General Congress and TVIndigena from the Guna People of Panama, explained that the Guna General Congress banned forest offsets known by the acronym REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) in their territory because carbon trading is incompatible with their culture and values.
Turning all of Nature into Natural Capital
According to Cassandra, author of the exposé SAVE THE WHALES… from the carbon market!,
in addition to whales and elephants, other living beings such as buffalo and monarch butterflies are also slated for use by carbon markets to generate permits to pollute instead of making polluters cut emissions at source. The Green Economy, the next chapter of capitalism, wants to turn all of Nature into natural capital and auction it off to the highest bidder. The financialization of Nature for carbon markets must be stopped because it does not protect biodiversity nor save the climate, it is just greenwash for Big Oil and other climate criminals that caused the climate emergency.
Additional Resources
Press Release (April 2024): UN, Amnesty International and Indigenous Peoples Denounce Carbon Markets and IMF’s Whale Offsets
Postcards with Information: English, Spanish (Front and Back)
Amnesty International (April 2024): UN Special Rapporteur is right to raise human rights concerns about carbon markets
SAVE THE WHALES… from the carbon market!, an excerpt from Cassandra’s forthcoming book: CLIMATE OPIUM
Full statement (April 22, 2024): UN Special Rapporteur on Indigenous Peoples Francisco Cali Tzay calls for moratorium on carbon market projects to stop human rights violations caused by carbon market projects “Indigenous Peoples Defend Whales And Their Territories Against The Blue Economy And Carbon Colonialism” (Video Link – watch 2:50:05 – 2:50:37)
