Our intrinsic relation with Mother Earth obliges us to oppose the inclusion of sinks in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) because it reduces our sacred land and territories to mere carbon sequestration which is contrary to our cosmovision and philosophy of life. Sinks in the CDM would constitute a worldwide strategy for expropriating our lands and territories and violating our fundamental rights that would culminate in a new form of colonialism. Sinks in the CDM would not help to reduce GHG emissions, rather it would provide industrialized countries with a ploy to avoid reducing their emissions at source.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) established by the Kyoto Protocol offers both negative and positive possibilities. The CDM will not be a solution to global warming if it diffuses or obfuscates the responsibility of industrialized countries to reduce their GHG. It must not be used to allow Annex I countries to continue poisoning the environment. Sinks in the CDM pose the threat of invasion and loss of our land and territories by establishing new regimes for protected areas and privatization. We emphatically oppose the inclusion of sinks, plantations, nuclear power, megahydroelectric and coal. Furthermore, we oppose the development of a carbon market that would broaden the scope of globalization. However, we do support the Positive List including the development of alternative energies that foster sustainable development.
Indigenous Peoples demand that the principles of transparency, prior informed consultation and consent, independent third party verification and monitoring, benefit sharing, risk reduction, appeals mechanism and compensation be guaranteed. Furthermore, we emphasize the need for these principles to be applied in culturally and linguistically appropriate manners.