BBC Panorama documentary on the Southern Cardamom REDD project in Cambodia: Human rights abuses, road construction, and a hydropower dam
BBC Panorama documentary on the Southern Cardamom REDD project in Cambodia: Human rights abuses, road construction, and a hydropower dam
“Lots of logging is taking place here.”
The recent BBC Panorama documentary about the problems with REDD projects and carbon offsets includes a visit to the Southern Cardamom REDD project in Cambodia.
This is my third post about the Panorama documentary. You can read the other posts here.
Boeing and Deliveroo are among the companies that have bought carbon credits from the Southern Cardamom REDD project. The project is run by a US organisation called Wildlife Alliance (incorporated in the tax haven of Delaware) in partnership with the Cambodian government. The REDD project started in 2015 and covers an area of 465,839 hectares.
The Washington DC-based carbon certification company Verra put the project on hold in June 2023, following a letter from Human Rights Watch. The project has not been allowed to issue carbon credits since that date.
Human Rights Watch published a report about the project in February 2024. The report, which is based on 31 months of research, documents Wildlife Alliance’s failure to carry out a process of free, prior and informed consent before the project started, and the forced evictions of Indigenous People living in the project area for farming and collecting forest products from their traditional territories.
“Wildlife Alliance says any removals were carried out lawfully,” Panorama reports.
Eang Sophalleth, Cambodia’s Environment Minister tells the Panorama documentary team that,
“What I am doing here is to try to get all the finance from carbon credits, as much as possible to help to develop the communities, to make sure that their living condition is improved. Second, teach them to become entrepreneurs and get them to help me to develop, to expand coverage area to make more money from carbon credits.”
A road and two hydropower dams under construction
The Panorama teams travels to the northwest of the project area. They find a construction site. “Lots of logging is taking place here,” one member of the team comments. “Looks like it’s been cleared for something.” He confirms that they are well inside the project area.
They talk to the construction workers, who tell them they are building National Road 10. It cuts through part of the protected forest.
Two hydropower dams are under construction. The 100-megawatt Veal Thmor Kambot hydropower dam is 15 kilometres inside the project area, and the 70-megawatt Russei Chrum Kandal dam is two kilometres outside the REDD project boundary.
Panormama reports that, “Wildlife Alliance says it recognises the Cambodian government faces a difficult trade-off between economic development and protecting the environment.”
The Panorama team asks the Environment Minister about the significant amount of deforestation as a result of the road and hydropower dam construction. Eang Sophalleth replies that,
“Cambodia is only 25 years old we only have peace for 25 years and we need access road we need energy security.”
Panorama asks about what happens to the carbon credits as a result of the deforestation. Eang Sophalleth says that,
“The amount that they purchase is not affected at all and with the reforestation that we are putting out one million trees per year planting I’m sure that that will be compensating the impact.”
The documentary points out that rainforests store far more carbon than planted trees.
Questions for Verra
The Panorama team asks Toby Janson-Smith, Chief Innovation Officer at Verra, how the deforestation associated with the hydropower dam is consistent with the goals of avoiding deforestation. Here’s the interview:
Janson-Smith: “I’m not aware of that particular infraction that you highlight. if that indeed is happening we would welcome hearing about it and then we would absolutely address that.”
Panorama: “What then is the value of those credits that have been sold to companies?”
Janson-Smith: The, er, individual trees could be lost but overall the project has generated more climate benefits that to make up for that and some. So there’s not an inherent problem that you lose forests, it’s just how you account for it needs to be robust.”
At this point, Joel Finkelstein, Verra’s Senior Director, Media and Advocacy, interrupts. He was monitoring the interview remotely via a phone that Janson-Smith had put on a table next to him. For some reason, rather than picking up the phone, Janson-Smith leans over to listen to Finkelstein. It’s an odd moment.
Janson-Smith sits up again. He says, “OK, just to say that Joel’s pointing out that you know the Cardamom is, because it’s section 6, it’s an ongoing investigation, so we really shouldn’t comment about that specific project right now.”
The Panorama documentary states that,
Wildlife Alliance says the project protects a vast area of important but threatened rainforest. It advances the land rights of people in 29 villages and has financed schools, medical centres, safe water wells, and University scholarships. It says it couldn’t alert Verra to the construction work because the project had already been suspended, and that deforestation can reduce the number of credits but not their value.
Deliveroo told Panorama that it hasn’t used carbon offsetting since 2021 and it’s not part of its strategy to reach its net zero target.
Boeing told Panorama that it believes nature and tech-based solutions are required to decarbonise and it relies on assurances from Verra.
Ecologi’s due diligence?
Before the Panorama documentary, a UK-based carbon consulting firm called Ecologi sold carbon credits from the Southern Cardamom REDD project. The Panorama documentary team secretly filmed a meeting with the company.
“So we can be sure that none of the projects you’re recommending, or any of the ones on your website have any problems?” Panorama’s journalist asked.
“To answer your question, we’re the most trusted partner,” came the reply. “We have a strict due diligence process. Very, very strict. That’s our USP [unique selling point] in the market.”
In a statement, Ecologi told Panorama that it is “built on trust” and that together with its partners uses “state-of-the-art technology to assess project quality”. Ecologi said it hasn’t funded the Southern Cardamom project since 2022.
Ecologi subsequently removed the project from its website.
This little statement: "Second, teach them to become entrepreneurs and get them to help me to develop, to expand coverage area to make more money from carbon credits,” besides the greed expressed in the first sentence, is the very antithesis of a nature-based project; when Development (i.e., humanity's war against Nature) is embodied in the supposed conservation area. What a sham.