Concerns raised over Green Credit rules by environmental groups

Over a hundred environmental and human rights organizations, lawyers, and individuals have penned a letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), expressing deep concerns over the Green Credit rules and their methodology. These rules, introduced in a notification dated February 24, 2023, have sparked controversy due to their perceived incentivization of forest diversion activities, potentially at the expense of environmental conservation and the rights of forest-dwelling communities.

According to the letter, the methodology outlined for Green Credit appears to encourage forest diversion activities through green credit earnings, posing significant risks to the environment, forests, climate, and the rights of indigenous communities. Despite being presented as a market innovation scheme, critics argue that the Green Credit rules rely too heavily on market forces, potentially accelerating business-driven activities that could harm the environment.

Signatories to the letter include prominent organizations such as the People’s Union of Civil Liberties, Let India Breathe, Centre for Financial Accountability, and Dhaatri Trust, among others.

A press release accompanying the letter raises concerns about the unsustainable nature of the Green Credit Programme (GCP) introduced under the Green Credit Rules, 2023. Critics argue that such a profit-oriented program may further incentivize forest diversion and deforestation, ultimately disregarding the rights of forest-dwelling communities and exacerbating environmental degradation.

"We urge the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change to immediately withdraw the Green Credit Rules, 2023 and the methodology notified in February 2024 and all notifications/orders issued in pursuance of the same, and further demand that no such programme be introduced without wider consultation with affected communities and experts," the letter read.

The representation presented to the MoEFCC calls for immediate action, including halting attempts to implement the unsustainable methodology outlined in the February 2024 notification under the Green Credit Programme. Furthermore, it demands the withdrawal of the Green Credit Rules, 2023, and associated notifications, emphasizing the importance of wider consultation with affected communities and experts before introducing similar programs.

"Ad-hoc, unscientific and arbitrary tree-planting measures cannot be used as ‘credits’ to compensate for the destruction of old-growth trees and priceless forest ecosystems, which have immense economic, social and environmental value," the letter read.

Lara Jesani, a Mumbai-based advocate and organizing secretary of the People’s Union for Civil Liberties, emphasized the significance of the joint petition, stating that it reflects the shared concerns and objections voiced by environmental rights and human rights groups over the past year.

Jesani said, "The programme makes it easier for companies to comply with compensatory afforestation with plantations even as dense forests are being diverted. Over 10,000 hectares of ‘degraded’ land has already been identified for plantations under the scheme but we are not aware of the details of these land parcels and whether rights of communities on such lands have been first settled."

Some of the key demands outlined in the representation include the protection and restoration of forests and natural areas, prioritizing ecological concerns over schemes that promote investment in afforestation programs.

Notable signatories to the letter include organizations like Fridays For Future, Karnataka, Himdhara Collective, Vikalp Sangam General Assembly, and Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, as well as prominent individuals such as lawyers Anand Grover, Henri Tiphagne, and activists like Agnes Kharshiing, Rohan Chakravarty, and writers such as Amitav Ghosh and Arvind Narrain.

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