Forest Carbon Offsets as a Colonial Project: The Imperial Mode of Living and the Green Economy

Against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis, forest-based carbon credits are touted as a green solution that conjoins capitalism and nature conservation to the benefit of all. The aim of this article is to challenge this understanding, arguing that market-based climate policies in general, and forest carbon offset projects in particular, perpetuate asymmetric, colonial hierarchies and promote the exploitation of peoples and the planet. First, the article provides an overview of the struggle for Indigenous and traditional communities’ land rights in Brazil as well as an introduction to forest-based carbon offset projects in the Amazon. Then, the concepts of racial capitalism, green colonialism and the imperial mode of living are outlined and intertwined, creating a comprehensive theoretical framework. Through this prism, the context and possible repercussions of a specific carbon offset project, devised by the LEAF Coalition and the Brazilian state of Pará, will be explored. The article concludes with a focus on Indigenous peoples’ resistance.