Published by United Nations University Institute of Advanced
Studies (UNU - IAS) and the North Australian Indigenous Land and
Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA).
Excerpt from "A Carbon Guide for Northern Indigenous
Australians"
About this Guide
As efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increase, so do
the sources of ‘carbon financing’ and the size of the
international ‘carbon market’. Greenhouse gas abatement
activities can have both beneficial and detrimental impacts on the
communities in which they operate. For this reason, it is vital
that Indigenous communities have accurate information about carbon
financing and carbon market processes at the outset – to help
them make informed decisions and choices about activities that work
for them.
This is a short guide for Northern Indigenous Australians on the
impacts of and responses to climate change, particularly market and
financial mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (often
referred to as the ‘carbon market’, ‘emissions
trading’ and/or ‘carbon financing’). The guide is
intended as a first edition: comments, case studies and more
information would be most welcome – please contact
ingrid@iisd.org, johnston@ias.unu.edu or
jessica.lewfatt@cdu.edu.au.
The Report is divided into four sections:
- Section 1 explains what climate change is and outlines
the international response to this problem.
- Section 2 describes the carbon market and the different
activities that may generate ‘emissions reduction
credits’ or ‘offsets’. It lists some points to
think about when undertaking emissions reduction or offsetting
activities. It also outlines the current situation with regard to
the carbon market in Australia and opportunities for accessing
carbon financing, before discussing the possible impacts of
emissions reduction activities on Indigenous people.
- Section 3 looks at the role of Australian Indigenous
fire management practices in greenhouse gas abatement.
- Section 4 provides short case studies of Indigenous
engagement with greenhouse gas emissions reduction activities, both
within Australia and beyond.
This report was written by Ingrid Barnsley (all) and NAILSMA
(section 3). The views expressed in this guide are the
author’s own.
Publication of this Guide was generously supported by The
Christensen Fund and The Northern Territory Government.
