A Carbon Guide for Northern Indigenous Australians

TITLE: A Carbon Guide for Northern Indigenous Australians

AUTHORS:by NAILSMA and Ingrid Barnsley

PUB DATE:2009•03•11

As efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increase, so do the sources of carbon financing and the size of the international carbon market. Greenhouse gas abatement activities can have both beneficial and detrimental impacts on the communities in which they operate. For this reason, it is vital that Indigenous communities have accurate information about carbon financing and carbon market processes at the outset – to help them make informed decisions and choices about activities that work for them.

This is a short guide for Northern Indigenous Australians on the impacts of and responses to climate change, particularly market and financial mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions (often referred to as the ‘carbon market’, ’emissions trading’ and/or ‘carbon financing’).

• Section 1 explains what climate change is and outlines the international response to this problem.

• Section 2 describes the carbon market and the different activities that may generate ‘emissions
  reduction credits’ or ‘offsets’. It lists some points to think about when undertaking emissions reduction or offsetting activities. It also outlines the current situation with regard to the carbon market in Australia and opportunities for accessing carbon financing, before discussing the possible impacts of emissions reduction activities on Indigenous people.

• Section 3 looks at the role of Australian Indigenous fire management practices in greenhouse gas abatement.

• Sections 4 provides short case studies of Indigenous engagement with greenhouse gas emissions reduction activities, both within Australia and beyond.