Mark Hirons – The Conversation

Congo River, Democratic Republic of Congo. Guenther Guni/Getty Images

June 3, 2024

Buying and selling forest carbon as a commodity is dangerous if it trumps other environmental and social uses – new report

Constance McDermott, University of Oxford; Eric Kumeh Mensah, University of Oxford, and Mark Hirons, University of Oxford

The carbon stored by forests can be bought by polluting companies to offset their emissions. This can displace communities who depend on natural forests for their livelihoods.

A cocoa farmer among the trees he nurtures to shade his cocoa farm. Victoria Maguire-Rajpaul

November 22, 2017

Responsible chocolate is about protecting both forests and cocoa farmers’ livelihoods

Mark Hirons, University of Oxford; Constance McDermott, University of Oxford, and Victoria Maguire-Rajpaul, University of Oxford

A bold new commitment from the cocoa and chocolate industry to end deforestation is welcome. But we must avoid blaming the farmers.

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