Environmentalists Mobilize to Halt Green Credit Initiative

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.They claimed the methodology for calculation of green credits in respect of tree plantation lacks a basic scientific understanding of the ecological significance of natural lands like scrubland, open forests, wastelands and catchment areas irresponsibly termed as degraded land parcels under the rules and violates the rights of forest-dwelling and local communities over these lands.

Over 100 environmental organisations on Friday claimed the Centre's ''profit-oriented'' Green Credit Programme seeks to incentivise deforestation and trample upon the rights of the forest dwelling communities and requested the Union Environment Ministry to withdraw all related notifications and orders. Launched in October last year, the Green Credits Programme is a market-based mechanism rewarding different voluntary environmental actions by individuals, communities and the private sector.

Notified on February 22, the rules for calculation of green credits in respect of tree plantation said that any individual or private entity can now undertake plantation on degraded land, including open forest and scrub land, wasteland and catchment areas, and earn green credits, which can be traded and serve as a metric for corporate social responsibility.

The notification also said that the green credits generated could be exchanged for ''meeting the compliance of the compensatory afforestation in case of diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980''.

The environmental organisations, including Let India Breathe, Fridays for Future, Centre for Financial Accountability, Himdhara Collective, Friends of Ladakh and Narmada Bachao Andolan, said there have been serious concerns regarding the ''unsustainable'' approach adopted for the Green Credits Programme and ''reliance on market forces'' for conservation, restoration and management of these natural lands.

''The latest notification issued in February 2024 has now confirmed the legitimate apprehensions of the environmental and forest rights activists that such a profit-oriented green credit programme only seeks to further incentivise forest diversion and deforestation and trample upon the rights of the forest dwelling communities instead of putting regulatory curbs on it to protect forests,'' they claimed in a letter sent to the environment ministry.

''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 environmental organisations claimed that at a time when there is a need to focus on strengthening the legal framework to ensure environmental protection, the Green Credits Programme (GCP) would only serve as another tool to enable the exploitation of natural resources.

They said tree plantation done under the GCP cannot not be contemplated as a replacement for the primary forest cover and natural ecosystem of our country which provide protection to wildlife, biodiversity and local knowledge of local communities. ''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.

They claimed the methodology for calculation of green credits in respect of tree plantation lacks a basic scientific understanding of the ecological significance of natural lands like scrubland, open forests, wastelands and catchment areas irresponsibly termed as “degraded” land parcels under the rules and violates the rights of forest-dwelling and local communities over these lands.

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