A reflection on how we work within flawed systems to support Indigenous leadership, conservation, and sovereignty.

Facing the Hard Truth

Much of our work at Nature For Justice intersects with carbon offsetting and the broader nature-finance market. It is a space full of tension. Carbon markets have the potential to mobilize significant resources for conservation and Indigenous stewardship, yet they have also produced harm when poorly designed or implemented. Globally, these spaces have historically been rife with predatory developers, inequitable benefit-sharing with local communities, and systemic barriers that prevent Nations and other Indigenous governments from fully benefiting from conservation finance. We have been vocal about these issues, and Indigenous leaders worldwide have highlighted the risks of poorly designed carbon projects that misrepresent conservation outcomes or displace Indigenous People.

But an honest conversation must go further:
Carbon offsetting itself is a flawed system. It is complex, unevenly regulated, and often out of alignment with Indigenous worldviews and values.

We of course are not the first to point this out, but as we work within this space, it is critical for us to we acknowledge that:

• Carbon markets commodify what is sacred. The value of a forest, waterway, or ecosystem cannot be reduced to CO₂e or the price of a credit. Their cultural, spiritual, and ecological significance far exceeds any economic metric. Learn more at https://nature4justice.earth/the-risks-of-nature-commodification/.
  
• Not all offsets successfully reduce gross overall emissions. As emission trading systems allow continued pollution in exchange for reductions elsewhere, offsets  manage harm, they do not eliminate it. Pollution continues, and its impacts are felt most intensely by Indigenous and marginalized communities. At the same time, some companies participating in carbon markets are working to reduce their emissions year over year as part of broader transition strategies. While offsets alone cannot solve the problem, they can play a supportive role when paired with genuine reductions at source.
  
• Offsets operate within socio-economic systems that created climate injustice in the first place. Many of the industries responsible for significant greenhouse emissions are now being asked to contribute financially to climate solutions. There is no guarantee that these payments will go to those who have historically not contributed to greenhouse gas emissions.  Offsets will not end climate change on their own, but the resources flowing through these markets are significant.

 While we recognize the flaws and shortcomings of carbon markets, we see it as imperative to leverage existing resources and institutions to build a better world. At First 30×30 Canada, led by Nature For Justice, in collaboration with IISAAK OLAM Foundation and Nature Focus Development, we are committed to redirecting the financial flows of nature-finance toward Indigenous sovereignty, land protection, and long-term nature stewardship.

Working Within Imperfection

If carbon markets are imperfect, the question becomes:
Can we use flawed tools to advance Indigenous rights, conservation, and Nation-building?

We believe the answer is yes. If Indigenous leadership is at the centre, and if integrity is non-negotiable.

Two of the most persistent failures in today’s carbon markets are also areas where Indigenous Nations hold the strongest solutions:

1. Concerns about project quality, permanence, and long-term stewardship
   —Indigenous Nations have lived in reciprocity with their territories for millennia. Their long-term stewardship provides the permanence and integrity the market struggles to guarantee.
   
2. The market’s failure to value Indigenous knowledge, rights and responsibilities
   —Indigenous stewardship is one of the most powerful climate solutions on earth, yet it remains underrecognized and underfunded. First 30×30 helps correct that imbalance by ensuring Nature-based Solution (NbS) projects honour Indigenous law, land relationships, and knowledge systems.  Indigenous leaders point out that their work is not about securing rights, but rather about securing their ability to carry out their responsibilities to their territories – responsibility to care for the animals, plants and ecological systems that have co-evolved with them.

When implemented through Indigenous governance, carbon and NbS projects can protect critical ecosystems, strengthen local economies, and fund long-term stewardship, all while advancing rights recognition and traditional knowledge for how to live in good relationship with the unique living systems that make up Planet Earth.

Navigating This Work

Nature finance is only one tool within a broader movement for Indigenous sovereignty, climate justice, and economic self-determination. Courts, negotiations, frontline resistance, language revitalization, land-based teaching, and governance rebuilding are all part of this movement – and carbon finance can support this movement when used carefully and ethically. This understanding shapes how we approach nature finance in practice. Rather than rejecting imperfect systems outright, we focus on building safeguards, accountability, and Indigenous leadership into every step of the process. This perspective guides the steps we take in our work, beginning with the following principles:

1. Carbon as a means…not an end.

Our starting question is never “How do we generate offsets?”
It is:
“How do the Indigenous leaders for an area want to care for their territory, and how do we secure long-term financing that supports this vision?”

When structured through clear, enforceable, equitable Benefit Sharing Agreements, carbon revenues can provide long-term income that reduces reliance on unpredictable grant cyclesand supports true Nation-building. When the price of carbon is set at strong and dependable rate by government systems, the long-term benefits are even greater.

2. Projects that reflect a whole ecosystem, not just carbon.

We do not maximize carbon benefits at the expense of biodiversity, water, food systems, culture, or livelihoods. Carbon is one indicator within a larger system of ecological and cultural health.

3. Supporting real emissions reductions through strong policy frameworks  

We do not support policy frameworks that allow companies to rely on credits while avoiding meaningful emissions reductions at source. Carbon markets are most effective when they operate alongside clear regulatory requirements that drive emissions downward over time. Real climate progress requires investment in both deep greenhouse gas emissions reductions at source and large-scale ecosystem regeneration. Indigenous-led projects play a critical role by directing climate finance into communities that have historically been excluded.  Offsets can contribute meaningfully when embedded within strong, regulatory systems that drive emissions reductions at source. For example, British Columbia’s Output-Based Pricing System demonstrates how carbon pricing and offsets can operate within a framework where emissions caps tighten over time, compliance costs increase, and restoration is integrated into broader climate policy.

4. Strengthening Indigenous land tenure and governance.

We explore how carbon projects can provide the financial means and political support for:

• Land purchase or security of tenure,
  
• Assertion of Indigenous governance authority,
  
• Implementation of Indigenous laws and stewardship practices, and
  
• Prevention of external encroachment from forestry, industry, or development.
  

5. Unlocking private capital at a scale philanthropy cannot reach.

Philanthropy and public funding alone cannot meet the needs of Indigenous Nations pursuing conservation and stewardship (nor the global needs of carbon sequestration and biodiversity protection).
Ethical nature-finance mechanisms channel private capital into Nations in a way that:

• supports long-term stewardship,
  
• reduces pressure on public budgets,
  
• and increases investment certainty in Canada’s conservation economy.
  

Moving Forward

At First 30×30 Canada, we believe carbon markets can be used as tools while addressing their flaws to build a better future with Indigenous Nations leading the way. Through trusted networks and a rigorous vetting process for funding partners, we ensure alignment with our values and goals. This approach supports Indigenous Nations in leveraging carbon credit systems that deliver real benefits and avoid greenwashing and ensure measurable conservation outcomes.

First 30×30 Canada is committed to working with humility, integrity, and accountability. We know that using imperfect systems comes with risks; however, when these tools are placed in service of Indigenous leadership and IPCA aspirations, they can open new pathways toward a more just, regenerative future.

As Canada moves toward its 30×30 commitments, Indigenous-led conservation offers both the moral compass and governance stability needed to confront climate and biodiversity crises together. When Indigenous Nations lead stewardship of their territories, conservation outcomes are stronger, and investments in Nature become long-term commitments rather than short-term projects.

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Written by: Michael Weiss and Kamryn Whiteye