Chris Lang

Confusion and alarm over ASC Impact’s carbon plantations in Gambella, Ethiopia “The trees make us very worried.”

A Swiss company called ASC Impact claims it is developing a "sustainable" carbon plantation in Ethiopia.

But local communities are concerned. "The trees make us very worried," journalists Jennifer Steiner and @aninanina.bsky.social report one man as saying.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/confusion-...

globaljusticeecology.org/climate-cata...
GJEP Statement: Climate Catastrophe and the ICE Storm

Climate catastrophe isn’t the future. It’s already happening and shaping how governments respond.

@biofuelwatch.bsky.social @dhlovelife.bsky.social @ienearth.bsky.social @hoodwinkedhothouse.bsky.social

Six Malagasy civil society organisations have written to Verra to complain about Tozzi Green’s carbon plantation land grab in Madagascar Local communities have been protesting against the company’s operations for more than a decade.

Six NGOs in Madagascar have written to Verra to complain about Tozzi Green's tree-planting carbon project in Madagascar.

Local communities are demanding that the company leaves their land.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/six-malaga...

The collapse of KOKO Networks. A cookstoves project in Kenya that relied on compliance carbon trading When the Kenyan government refused to issue a letter of authorisation KOKO collapsed.

KOKO Networks relied on carbon trading to finance its bioethanol cookstoves in Kenya.

Last week, the company collapsed after the Kenyan government refused to issue a letter of authorisation to sell carbon credits under Article 6 and CORSIA.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-collap...

Carbon trading under Article 6 threatens to make the climate crisis worse UN standards inevitably fail to address the flaws in inherent in carbon trading.

A recent paper in Nature Climate Change highlights the danger that carbon trading under the UNFCCC “could undermine global climate action”.

Article 6 rules "lack sufficient safeguards to ensure that these carbon credits deliver real climate benefits".

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/carbon-tra...

“The launch of 500 million Carbon Coins appears to be inconsistent” with the Verra Registry Terms “Verra is currently assessing the matter to determine the appropriate next steps.”

Verra has responded to my questions about the recent launch of 500 million Carbon Coins by China Carbon Neutral Development Group.

The launch "appears to be inconsistent" with clause 1.9 of the Verra Registry Terms of Use.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-launch...

The “biggest bank fraud” in Brazil’s history involves carbon credits from Fazenda Floresta Amazônica, a Brasil Mata Viva project REDD-Monitor first warned about Brasil Mata Viva in 2012.

I first wrote about Brasil Mata Viva in 2012 - a UK-based scam company called Carvier Limited was selling 3 million carbon credits from the company.

Now, the collapse of Banco Master in Brazil features carbon credits from a Brasil Mata Viva REDD project.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-bigges...

No, Mark Carney's speech at the World Economic Forum was not “pretty good” Some thoughts on Carney’s “a rupture, not a transition” speech.

In his speech in Davos, Mark Carney somehow managed not to talk about:

Trump
Fascism
Gaza
Venezuela
The Plastic People of the Universe
The Mothers of Invention
US imperialism
Structural adjustment programmes
The climate crisis

I thought I should.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/no-mark-ca...

REDD-Monitor | Chris Lang | Substack Your daily reminder that carbon offsets are a scam. Click to read REDD-Monitor, by Chris Lang, a Substack publication with thousands of subscribers.

The full series is available here:
reddmonitor.substack.com/t/crooked-ca...

Crooked Carbon Business: Overview of documentation Carbon trading has made the climate crisis worse.

For the past few months, REDD-Monitor has been running a series titled "Crooked Carbon Business," based on briefings by Simon Counsell and Jutta Kill.

This is the last one in the series - an overview of the documentation.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-ca...

DiEM25: “We reject the World Economic Forum as a fortress of authoritarian power” “Reproducing a capitalist, patriarchal, warmongering and neo-colonial economy built on exclusion and the relentless extraction of life.”

A very welcome statement from @diem25.bsky.social opposing the World Economic Forum:

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/diem25-we-...

The UK’s new climate envoy, Rachel Kyte, imagines carbon as “the currency of the 21st century” What a £4 million donation to the Labour Party from the Cayman Islands gets you.

The UK’s new climate envoy, Rachel Kyte, imagines carbon as ‘the currency of the 21st century’ - @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

New Scientist: Carbon offsets are one of the five worst ideas of the 21st century Along with Bitcoin, Social media, Alternative fuels, and Effective altruism.

New Scientist on carbon offsets:

One of the five worst ideas of the 21st century.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/new-scient...

The Global Casino: Ann Pettifor and Adrienne Buller in Conversation Celebrated economists Ann Pettifor and Adrienne Buller discuss how the global financial system, left unregulated, is wrecking our lives

I'll be in conversation with @annpettifor.bsky.social in a few weeks at Foyles on all things finance!

Hopefully see some of you there - and look out for our interview with Ann @the-breakdown.bsky.social this Thursday 👀

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-global...

Hundreds and hundreds of people have joined the Green Party since this was broadcast.

Together - we are growing this movement.

Join us: join.greenparty.org.uk

Book review: Less is More by Jason Hickel How degrowth will save the world.

“While for decades we have been relying on market mechanisms to somehow magically fix the climate crisis, it’s now clear this approach isn’t going to do. The only way to make it work is coordinated government action on a massive scale.”

- @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

East African Carbon Company claims to be setting up carbon projects in Uganda. It is a subsidiary of Alpha MBM Investments, a Dubai-based company developing a US$4 billion oil refinery in Uganda The chairman of Alpha MBM Investments is Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, a member of Dubai’s royal family.

Dubai-based Alpha MBM Investments is developing a US$4 billion oil refinery in Uganda, while its subsidiary, East African Carbon Company, claims to be developing nature-based carbon projects in Uganda.

Business as usual for carbon markets.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/east-afric...

Crooked Carbon Business: Livelihoods’ Mangrove Restoration project in Senegal Substandard wages for villagers. Carbon credits for corporations.

The last case study in the REDD-Monitor series Crooked Carbon Business by Jutta Kill and Simon Counsell looks at the Livelihoods' Mangrove Restoration project in Senegal.

🚨 Percentage of budget paid to communities: 5.2%

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-ca...

Caveat emptor: Auditors can’t save carbon offsets The authors of an editorial in Science magazine reply to carbon offsetting industry responses to their critique.

In July 2025, Cynthia Giles and Cary Coglianese wrote an editorial in Science titled, "Auditors can't save carbon offsets".

Here are their replies to two carbon offset industry responses to their research and critique.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/caveat-emp...

Crooked Carbon Business: Trees for Global Benefits in Uganda Carbon credits for rich countries. Hunger for Ugandan farmers.

A series of investigations and academic reports have exposed serious problems with Ecotrust's Trees for Global Benefits project in Uganda - mainly that the trees are planted on farmland, meaning that people end up going hungry.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/crooked-ca...

Carbon offsets are incompatible with the Paris Agreement The Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism (Article 6.4) faces the same problems, and the same governance structure, as the Clean Development Mechanism.

“Rather than changing ‘nearly everything’ about carbon offsets, I’d suggest that the only possible way that carbon offsets could support the Paris Agreement would be to abolish them.”

- @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

It’s all about oil: The Trump regime’s illegal military attack on Venezuela and kidnap of President Maduro Deranged Trump Syndrome has gone to a dangerous new level.

Here's my overview of some of the themes behind the Trump regime's illegal attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Spoiler alert: It's got nothing to do with drug trafficking or weapons.
reddmonitor.substack.com/p/its-all-ab...

The carbon land grab in Kenya SOMO investigates the expanding market for land-based carbon offset projects in Kenya.

@somoamsterdam.bsky.social recently published an investigation into the expanding market for land-based carbon offset projects in Kenya.

Carbon projects cover more than 5.4 million hectares in the country - almost as much as the total area of arable land.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/the-carbon...

Germany’s ongoing €4.5 billion carbon offset fraud: “It is possible that we are dealing with a case of serious environmental crime here” German authorities’ action is “too little, too late” says whistleblower.

Germany’s ongoing €4.5 billion carbon offset fraud: “It is possible that we are dealing with a case of serious environmental crime here” - @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

REDD-Monitor’s top ten posts in 2025 And REDD-Monitor’s plans for 2026.

Happy New Year!

Here's a list of REDD-Monitor's most popular posts last year.

And some plans for REDD-Monitor in 2026.

reddmonitor.substack.com/p/redd-monit...

“Like Apartheid.” Maasai in Ngorongoro Conservation Area protest against forced evictions and loss of basic rights The government has removed the Ngorongoro division from the voters’ register, denying the Maasai the right to vote.

“Like Apartheid.” Maasai in Ngorongoro Conservation Area protest against forced evictions & loss of basic rights - @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

The Institute of Economic Affairs Banked £640,000 from Oil Giants and Murdoch The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group – received more than £640,000 from fossil fuel companies and Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate between 1957 and ...

🔴 REVEALED 🔴

The Institute of Economic Affairs – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group that "incubated" Liz Truss – was bankrolled by oil giants and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.

📝 Exclusive findings from @desmog.com 👇

Surprise, surprise! Article 6 carbon credits face exactly the same problems as voluntary carbon credits Offsets instead of emissions cuts, double counting, junk credits, and Indigenous Peoples’ rights remain unresolved problems.

Surprise, surprise! Article 6 carbon credits face exactly the same problems as voluntary carbon credits #CarbonCon - @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...

Assessments argue carbon offsets are failing communities and climate goals (commentary) The Land Matrix, a collaboration between the International Land Coalition and several universities, just published a new report on land deals for carbon offsets. Carbon offsets are “credits” sold to p...

From Land Matrix to GRAIN, data show how carbon offsets fail communities and climate goals. Our take for @mongabay.com, zooming in on Madagascar.
news.mongabay.com/2025/12/asse... @reddmonitor.bsky.social

Billionaires aren’t going to save the planet. Part I: Marc Benioff’s trillion trees Four years after Benioff announced the trillion trees initiative, Bloomberg takes a look at how it's going.

“There isn’t enough land available on the planet to address the climate crisis by planting trees.”

Billionaires aren’t going to save the planet - @reddmonitor.bsky.social
open.substack.com/pub/reddmoni...