To meet climate change targets, India must enable Adivasis to conserve its natural forests

At the Katowice Climate Change Conference in December, Indian negotiators fought for firm financial commitments to the global climate kitty from historical emitters. India has committed to achieving its goals under the Paris Agreement. To this end, the government is propagating expanding the country’s green cover to trap more carbon. But it appears to have fallen prey to a narrow meaning of forests – planting trees. This explains why it’s still to give the real protectors of natural forests – local and indigenous communities – control over them. Read more…