Carbon finance and reforestation : a survey of African cases

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This thesis addresses the topic of carbon finance in the context of reforestation andavoided deforestation. The research is based on the Nhambita Reduced Emissionsfrom Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) and Agro-forestry carbon offset projectin North West Mozambique. The thesis raises important questions in terms of therelevance of carbon offset projects to human and biophysical realities in Africa. Theresearch was conducted through the lens of ethnographic development and exploreshow carbon offset projects are received by recipient communities. What issues dosuch projects attempt to address? Are the targeted issues the „real‟ issues, as they areperceived by local populations in developing countries? Who do such projects benefitand who do they benefit the most?The thesis comprises two academic papers. The first paper is a synthesis articlepresenting a review of key issues with regards to the roll-out of improved cookingstoves (ICS) in the context of carbon offset projects, combined with a pre-feasibilitystudy on the introduction of ICS in the Nhambita village. It shows how biomass willcontinue to play a dominant role in addressing Southern African energy needs andhow a large scale dissemination of ICS could play a seminal role in alleviatingpressure on threatened ecosystems. The paper, however, recognizes that ICSprogrammes are not a panacea and discusses the pitfalls of paradigms underlyingstove-provision programmes to date. Based on a review of the pertinent literature andon the field work conducted in Mozambique, conclusions are drawn thatenvironmental and health considerations do not constitute a sufficient „pull‟ factorfrom the end user‟s perspective. It appears that best channels to engage with thetargeted users are economic and social rationales. This debate is of particular relevance to climate change policy but it also offers insights in terms of theacceptance of such programmes by the target communities.The second paper is related to the first in that it discusses the opportunities andchallenges associated with the developmental ambitions of carbon offset projects. Byvirtue of the market systems that regulate them, such carbon offset projects imply aninnovative developmental praxis, whereby project recipients become the owners andthe sellers of a tangible good in the form of carbon credits. This innovative dimensionis, however, thwarted by the fact that such projects stir welfare expectations fromproject participants. Such livelihood improvement expectations become the fertileground for difficulties reminiscent of the weakness of traditional aid. The intricaciesunderpinning this new mechanism that combines land use changes withenvironmental conservation and livelihood benefits are debated in the context ofprivate entrepreneurship and global markets. The analysis is anchored in a socioanthropologicalinterpretation of climate change science and lays the emphasis on therisks and constraints of such projects, from the perspective of the target communities.The paper concludes by discussing the policy implications of these findings.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University