THE PRICE OF CARBON. US Corporations bought a forest to make a reservation in southeast coast of Brazil and to offset their emissions. By promising not to cut trees down, companies hope to obtain carbon “credits". The idea is popular in the United States for economic reasons: buying a forest costs up to 80 percent less than instituting emission-reduction technology at home. But it comes with a catch: in this case Brazilian communities must deal with a police force known as the Green Police, who stop them accessing the forest and its traditional food supply.
Indigenous Peoples have contributed the least to climate change, but suffer the most from it. Despite the recent adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, they have little say in the UN climate negotiations – the epitome of climate injustice.
This photo serie, part of a long term project called Conversations with the Earth: Indigenous voices on Climate change, shows stories from around the world about how indigenous are affected by and responding to the climate issues we are all facing today. This photographic work focuses on Southeast of Brazil, where three American companies with significant carbon footprints have provided $18 million to ensure the preservation of a 50,000-acre reserve of Atlantic Forest. The idea seems simple: trees soak up carbon dioxide. By promising not to cut them down, companies hope to obtain carbon “credits.†But this practice, called avoided deforestation, is one of the most controversial ideas for global negotiators trying to slow the rate of deforestation. The idea is popular in the United States for economic reasons: buying a forest costs up to 80 percent less than instituting emission-reduction technology at home. But how is that compared to a community’s right to access their food supply?