Mumbai: More than 100 environment and human rights organisations and over 400 individuals wrote to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change demanding to roll back the Green Credit Rules 2023. The organisations have alleged that the methodology introduced under the notification, which provides incentive for forest diversion activities through green credit earnings, will result as costly to the environment, forest and climate and to the rights of forest dwelling communities.
On Friday, activists and organisations came together to oppose the Green Credit Rules 2023 citing concerns regarding its unsustainable approach and reliance on market forces for the conservation, restoration, and management of these natural lands. The activists allege that the notification dated February 22, 2024 is a profit-oriented programme that only seeks to incentivise forest diversion and trample upon the rights of the forest dwelling communities, instead of putting regulatory curbs on it to protect forests.
Green Credit Program (GCP) notified on is an innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivize voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors, by various stakeholders like individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies.
Alleging that the methodology is unscientific and unsustainable aimed to incentivise forest diversions at the cost of ecological concerns, the letter called for immediate withdrawal of the Green Credit Rules 2023 and its methodology. The letter has demanded ensurement that no such programme should be introduced without wider consultation with affected communities and experts.
“Business-driven activities are admittedly the biggest violator of environmental rights and destroyer of forests today. In a time when there is a need to focus on strengthening the legal framework to ensure environmental protection, the GCP would only serve as another tool to enable the exploitation of natural resources,” stated the activists.
The joint letter has also demanded protection and restoration of forests, open forests and natural areas over “any further warped schemes for investment in afforestation programmes at the cost of the country’s threatened natural forest cover”.
Organisations like People's Union for Civil Liberties, Let India Breathe, Fridays For Future Karnataka, Centre for Financial Accountability, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti among others, lawyers including Anand Grover, Henri Tiphagne, Mihir Desai and other activists like Agnes Kharshiing, Sarang Yadwadkar, Yuvan Aves among others signed the petition written to the union ministry.
