Diputados sanciona controversial proyecto de ley sobre créditos de carbono
Paraguay has approved a law to regulate the carbon credit market, aiming to institutionalize this market and generate revenue through the sale of emission permits. The central argument of its proponents is that monetizing environmental conservation will incentivize forest protection and reforestation, transforming environmental stewardship into an economically viable activity that attracts investment and creates local jobs. However, the regulation faces significant criticism for disproportionately favoring large landowners at the expense of indigenous and peasant communities, who have reported land dispossession and social exclusion. There is a well-founded fear that, without robust safeguards, the system will legitimize land ownership by powerful actors—whether the land is already protected or has been deforested—thereby perpetuating structural inequalities while benefiting those with greater financial and legal capacity. This case is relevant to the study of *greenwashing* because it exemplifies the risk of "junk carbon credits." If the regulation does not ensure real additionality and social justice, there is a danger that companies and governments will use these instruments to mask their environmental impact without achieving real emission reductions. The law could facilitate a sustainability narrative that conceals deforestation and land concentration, leveraging the urgency of the climate crisis to consolidate existing economic interests under the guise of ecological preservation.
Source: ultimahora.comPublished on 2023-10-05