At this unique Brussels event, three Maasai representatives will speak for themselves regarding their experience with carbon market projects. They will share first-hand testimonies on the harmful impact of the rapid expansion of the soil carbon business in Northern Tanzania and also showcase positive climate solutions grounded in Indigenous knowledge and human rights.
Designed to increase the amount of carbon in the soil by changing the Maasai way of life, knowledge and traditional grazing practices, the carbon crediting projects the Maasai representatives will speak about are bringing conflicts, loss of land, and corruption while delaying true climate action. Among the groups affected negatively are the Maasai in Northern Tanzania whose lands are being used to offset the emissions of major European companies such as Volkswagen.
Despite documented risks of carbon credit projects to human rights and to unlocking high quality mitigation, the EU is considering to use carbon credits under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement to “achieve” the bloc’s 2040 target on paper. The detrimental experience of the Maasai in Northern Tanzania reveals that carbon market projects not only can harm the very communities they claim to support but also risk delaying urgently needed in-house decarbonisation from heavy polluters in the EU.
This event is organised by Carbon Market Watch in collaboration with the Maasai International Solidarity Alliance (MISA).
There will be time for questions during the Q&A. Journalists wishing to conduct interviews with the speakers can do so immediately after the event. Fill out this form to request an interview slot. The venue will remain available for this purpose.
