Activists and NGOs Unite Against Green Credit Rules 2023

More than 100 environmental and human rights organizations, along with over 400 individuals, have joined forces in a collective petition to the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, urging the rollback of the Green Credit Rules 2023. 

Allegations against the methodology introduced under the notification suggest that it incentivizes forest diversion activities through green credit earnings, posing significant risks to the environment, forests, climate, and the rights of forest-dwelling communities.

Activists and organizations convened on Friday to voice their opposition to the Green Credit Rules 2023, citing concerns about its unsustainable approach and reliance on market forces for the conservation, restoration, and management of natural lands. 

The notification, dated February 22, 2024, has been criticized as a profit-oriented program that prioritizes forest diversion over the protection of forests and the rights of forest-dwelling communities.

The Green Credit Program (GCP) introduced under the rules is characterized as an innovative market-based mechanism aimed at incentivizing voluntary environmental actions across various sectors, involving individuals, communities, private sector industries, and companies. However, critics argue that the methodology is unscientific and unsustainable, emphasizing forest diversions at the expense of ecological concerns.

The joint petition calls for the immediate withdrawal of the Green Credit Rules 2023 and its methodology, emphasizing the need for broader consultation with affected communities and experts before implementing such programs. It also advocates for the protection and restoration of forests and natural areas, cautioning against further investments in afforestation programs that could threaten the country’s natural forest cover.

Prominent organizations and individuals, including 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 underscoring the importance of environmental protection and community consultation in policy-making.