Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises

The report argues that 'false solutions' to environmental crises are characterized by the financialisation of nature, where ecosystems are treated as 'natural capital' and traded as commodities. These mechanisms, such as carbon credits and biodiversity offsets, allow corporations to continue polluting by paying for compensation elsewhere, often leading to the violation of Indigenous and local community rights. The document contrasts these with 'real solutions' based on grassroots power, social and gender justice, and the dismantling of capitalist accumulation.

• False solutions rely on the concept of compensation, allowing the destruction of one ecosystem provided a similar area is preserved elsewhere through the purchase of financial securities like carbon credits.
• These mechanisms promote the economic valuation of nature, which the author argues is impossible because prices cannot reflect the spiritual, cultural, and complex biological functions of ecosystems.
• False solutions facilitate the dismantling of environmental legislation by replacing mandatory regulations with voluntary compliance and financial incentives, which allows companies to avoid structural changes to production.
• The process of financialisation redefines nature through four phases: treating it as a tradable commodity, viewing it as a provider of 'services', dividing it into privatizable genetic parts, and finally fragmenting it into functional units for financial markets.
• These solutions are often presented as highly technical and complex to depoliticize debates and exclude people from discussions, shifting the focus from the causes of destruction to the calculation of ecosystem service units.
• The implementation of these financial mechanisms often leads to the violation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including loss of territorial control and 'double land grabs'.
• Real solutions are defined as those emerging from collective grassroots movements that prioritize life sustainability, gender justice, and the reversal of the commodification and financialisation of nature.

APA

Rojas, I. (2020). Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Characteristics-of-false-solutions-to-the-biodiversity-and-related-systemic-crises_Friends-of-the-Earth-International.pdf

Chicago

Rojas, Isaac. Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises. Friends of the Earth International, 2020. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Characteristics-of-false-solutions-to-the-biodiversity-and-related-systemic-crises_Friends-of-the-Earth-International.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Rojas |first1=Isaac |title=Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=December 2020 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Characteristics-of-false-solutions-to-the-biodiversity-and-related-systemic-crises_Friends-of-the-Earth-International.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rojas2020characteristics, author = {Rojas, Isaac}, title = {{Characteristics of false solutions to the biodiversity and related systemic crises}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2020}, month = dec, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Characteristics-of-false-solutions-to-the-biodiversity-and-related-systemic-crises_Friends-of-the-Earth-International.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }