This report, published by the Land Matrix Initiative, analyzes the large-scale land acquisition for carbon offset projects. In other words, when a company attempts to “compensate” its emissions by implementing projects that reduce or absorb the same amount of greenhouse gases.

The report focuses on potential risks to the local community’s rights, transparency of land transactions, and whether carbon projects actually contribute to sustainable development.

For the report, 217 deals from the Land Matrix open database were analyzed. These projects already cover approximately 8.8 million hectares worldwide, an area comparable to the size of Austria or Jordan. Moreover, the Analytical Report contains a list of recommendations that would help decrease social and environmental injustice in the carbon market.