Ashley Tamburello
Head of Learning and Engagement
As COP29 concludes in Azerbaijan, the spotlight has once again landed on carbon credits. The summit introduced new standards for international carbon markets designed to streamline trading between nations. While this may seem like progress on paper, it leaves us questioning: is commodifying Nature really the answer to the climate crisis?
At TreeSisters, we firmly believe that Nature is so much more than a line item in a financial transaction. Carbon credits risk reducing our planet's sacred, life-giving systems to something we can buy and sell. This approach not only diminishes ecosystems' inherent value but also distracts from the deeper, systemic changes we urgently need. Nature deserves our reverence, not our exploitation.
Carbon credits risk reducing our planet's sacred, life-giving systems to something we can buy and sell.
What’s missing in these discussions is the human heart. Indigenous communities—who have safeguarded the planet’s most vital ecosystems for generations—continue to be sidelined. Their wisdom and lived experience should be central to every climate solution. Similarly, community land rights must be prioritised. When communities have the autonomy to manage their lands, the results are more sustainable and equitable, benefiting both people and planet.
We must also acknowledge that women, especially in the Global South, are disproportionately affected by climate change. The UN estimates that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women. In many regions, women make up 43% of the agricultural workforce and are often responsible for gathering food, water, and fuel—resources that are increasingly scarce due to environmental degradation. Yet, time and time again, they lead the way in creating solutions that heal their communities and ecosystems. Climate action cannot succeed without centring gender equity and human rights in every discussion.
80% of people displaced by climate change are women.
Nature isn’t a commodity—it’s who we are and our shared home. We need to stop treating it like a resource to be traded and start respecting it as a living system that sustains us all. The climate crisis is a call to act with integrity, to rethink our relationship with the Earth, and to honour those who have long cared for it.
Climate action cannot succeed without centring gender equity and human rights in every discussion.
COP29 may have brought some advancements, such as an increase in financial commitments to developing countries and new climate adaptation initiatives to protect vulnerable communities like those TreeSisters supports. But it continues to fall short of the deep transformation we need. We’re calling for climate action that honours Indigenous voices, empowers communities, centres women, and restores our connection to Nature. It’s time for us all to step up—not to manage Nature, but to respect and protect it for generations to come.