KARACHI: Expressing reservations over the way the government is currently running the blue carbon projects, speakers at a dialogue held on Friday demanded that such projects must be conducted under a regulated system aimed at bringing transparency and benefiting the local communities.
The programme, titled Blue Carbon Dialogue was organised at the Climate Action Centre.
Majority of the speakers were unanimous in their opinion that the blue carbon projects ran by the provincial forest department so far were not publicised at all, suggesting that the government wanted to keep people away from the projects.
They pointed out that the details of the project and its activities must be made public before its launch to raise awareness about this important source of foreign exchange and that rights of the coastal communities must be protected to ensure project’s sustainability.
“Any project, especially a project in which an important aspect of nature is being used as a business, should not be carried out without any policy or rules. Running without regulations can not only affect nature but also raise questions about its transparency as there is no accountability and monitoring mechanism for such projects,” said climate expert Ali Tauqeer Sheikh while participating in the discussion online from Islamabad.
Mr Sheikh further said that the blue carbon projects being run in Sindh were sold in a carbon market that’s run voluntarily rather than under any rules and regulations.
“The benefits of these projects in terms of carbon sequestration are sold to those who have emitted an excess amount of carbon in their production activities. By paying for the carbon absorbed by such projects, they get an exemption from any kind of compensation or tax on their carbon emissions,” he said.
“However, while doing all this activity of buying and selling the carbon sequestration, it is not ensured how much of the real money will be spent on the climate protection of the communities living around the project, nor is there any disclosure on them because all these steps are managed without any rules and regulations,” he shared.
Defending the projects, Chief Conservator Forest Riaz Ahned Wagan said that the amount of carbon absorbed in the atmosphere from all the projects was properly calculated and then transferred to the parties under a legal agreement.
“It is sold to their representatives who emit more than their quota of carbon in their production activities, thereby compensating for the excess carbon emitted by them through payments to the said projects.”
Mr Wagan further said that the funds received from the projects so far had not been deposited in the provincial treasury, but it had been proposed to establish a special fund that would be used for climate and environmental improvement. The fund would be used as soon as it was sanctioned.
Senior researcher Dr Khalid Waleed said if the income from blue carbon projects didn’t benefit the coastal communities, then such projects would prove harmful in the future.
“This is so because continuing such projects with the dismay of coastal communities is quite a risky venture. Such projects have no climate value without sharing their benefits to those most affected by climate change-related disasters,” he said.
CEO Zero-Point Partners Maha Qasim said blue carbon projects were being run with great success all over the world, which not only helped in mitigating climate change but also brought foreign exchange to the country.
Such projects, however, were in their initial stages in Pakistan.
Aslam Malah, representing coastal communities, said fishermen were the most affected by all kinds of climate disasters, and they were always deprived of the benefits of any kind of climate project.
“Unless the rights of local populations are taken into account, climate change projects will never deliver the desired benefits,” he said.
The Dialogue was moderated by Warda while Director Climate Action Centre Yasir Hussain thanked the guests for their participation.
Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2024