EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS

The document critiques the 2010 MOU between California, Acre, and Chiapas, which aimed to link California's cap-and-trade system with jurisdictional REDD+ programs in Brazil and Mexico. It argues that these market-based mechanisms lead to human rights violations, territorial conflicts, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples. In Acre, the report highlights methodological flaws in emission baselines and the failure of social projects. In Chiapas, it notes the rise of land-grabbing for African palm monocultures and significant public debt to the World Bank and IDB. The report concludes that REDD+ serves as a tool for capital accumulation rather than a genuine solution to climate change, recommending a shift toward recognizing land tenure and autonomous territorial management.

• The 2010 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between California, Acre, and Chiapas sought to create a carbon credit system allowing California to compensate its emissions through REDD+ programs in the other two states, though implementation was delayed by California's regulatory framework.
• California's cap-and-trade system, part of Assembly Bill 32 (AB 32), aims to return greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, but the inclusion of international REDD+ offsets has faced resistance from the local agricultural sector and indigenous rights advocates.
• The jurisdictional REDD+ program in Acre (SISA) exhibits significant methodological flaws, such as using historical baselines that allowed the government to receive payments for emission reductions that occurred before the contract was signed or through non-REDD measures.
• Private REDD+ projects in Acre have led to severe social conflicts, including the manipulation of information, falsification of contracts, and threats against community members who oppose the projects.
• In Chiapas, REDD+ and Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) have been linked to the expropriation of collective lands, the rise of a land-owning elite, and the promotion of African palm monocultures that destroy biodiversity.
• The report argues that socio-environmental safeguards in REDD+ are largely discursive and ineffective, serving as tools to neutralize criticism rather than protecting the rights of forest peoples.
• The commodification of nature through REDD+ transforms indigenous and traditional peoples from autonomous territorial managers into 'service providers' or 'agroforestry agents', reinforcing colonial and patriarchal power dynamics.

APA

Furtado, F. (2017). EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS. Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/REDD-El-acuerdo-California-Acre-Chiapas.pdf

Chicago

Furtado, Fabrina. EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS. Friends of the Earth International, 2017. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/REDD-El-acuerdo-California-Acre-Chiapas.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Furtado |first1=Fabrina |title=EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |date=June 2017 |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/REDD-El-acuerdo-California-Acre-Chiapas.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{furtado2017acuerdo, author = {Furtado, Fabrina}, title = {{EL ACUERDO CALIFORNIA - ACRE - CHIAPAS}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, year = {2017}, month = jun, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/REDD-El-acuerdo-California-Acre-Chiapas.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }