Violations of Procedural Justice in Carbon Offset Projects

Carbon offset markets systematically violate procedural justice through interconnected mechanisms that strip Indigenous and local communities of agency while maintaining the appearance of participatory governance. Analysis of forest carbon projects across Africa and South America reveals four key dimensions of procedural injustice: (1) exclusion from decision-making, where negotiations occur between developers and national governments, bypassing local stakeholders; (2) manipulated consultation, involving selective representation, superficial engagement, and performative Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) processes that legitimize predetermined outcomes; (3) information asymmetry, enforced through linguistic barriers, technical complexity, and opaque contracts that obscure payment structures, market dynamics, and long-term obligations; and (4) gendered exclusion, which marginalizes women from decision-making and benefit-sharing despite their central role in project labor and land stewardship. These violations are rooted in entrenched power asymmetries that enable external actors to control Indigenous territories through what can be described as procedural colonialism-the strategic use of participatory language and consultation process to legitimize exploitation. Communities often sign long-term contracts under conditions of profound informational disadvantage, with no mechanisms for renegotiation even when carbon prices rise. Financial opacity and weak accountability structures ensure that developers face minimal consequences for violations. To achieve genuine procedural justice, carbon markets must undergo structural transformation. This includes redistributing power to recognize communities as legitimate authorities, ensuring transparency in decision-making and financial flows, and establishing robust accountability mechanisms. Without these reforms, the expansion of carbon markets under Article 6 risks perpetuating systemic injustices and deepening resource exploitation in the Global South.