Amazonía y mercados de carbono: ¿protección o greenwashing en Ecuador?
The article argues that while liberalizing carbon markets may appear beneficial for securing climate finance, it risks violating constitutional protections for environmental services. Without rigorous state regulation, there is a significant danger of fraudulent double counting, where forests are monetized multiple times without actual emission reductions. This lack of oversight enables greenwashing, allowing actors to claim conservation efforts while continuing pollution elsewhere. The author emphasizes that the state must act as a strict guardian rather than a passive arbitrator to prevent these markets from becoming tools for superficial environmental branding rather than genuine ecological protection. The relevance lies in how unregulated carbon trading can disguise continued environmental harm under a veneer of sustainability. The piece urges the development of robust safeguards within the allotted timeframe to ensure these mechanisms genuinely support conservation, particularly indigenous initiatives, rather than merely facilitating corporate greenwashing through unverified credits.
Source: expreso.ecPublished on 2026-09-24