Empowered Women at the forefront of Carbon Market

Tasneem Balasinorwala with Diya Deb

Are we missing a golden opportunity in carbon offset projects?  Enhancing the role of women towards social and political empowerment in the Voluntary Carbon Market.

As PowerSouth, since mid-2022, we have been wanting to know how the carbon offset project in Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCM) made a difference in the lives of rural women where projects happen – how do they feel empowered – socially, politically and economically. 

Empowerment or gender equality when is often seen in a vacuum of economics – time saved, is money earned that equals empowerment. But there is more to that, then what meets the eye. Empowerment has to be holistic – not only economics but also social and political. We did our own research on this scanning through project reports on the Gold Standard directory for projects in India who report on Gender Equality SDG5. First there were few such projects,  and second there was hardly a single project in that directory that left us spellbound. Since half a year we have been reaching out to project developers in Germany and in India to let us help them gender mainstream – this has been met with more verbal enthusiasm and appreciation than conclusive action. 

What are Voluntary Carbon Markets

Voluntary carbon markets allow carbon emitters to offset their unavoidable emissions by purchasing carbon credits emitted by projects targeted at removing or reducing Green House Gas (GHG) from the atmosphere.Each credit – which corresponds to one metric ton of reduced, avoided or removed CO2 or equivalent GHG – can be used by a company or an individual to compensate for the emission of one ton of CO2 or equivalent gases. The logic of the business is that carbon credits can help companies meet ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse-gas emission. The voluntary carbon offset market, which was worth about $2 billion in 2021, will grow to $10-40 billion in value by 2030. But having said that there is a bit of volatility in the market and lately one case in 2023 created ripples of distrust and need for better transparency, regulation and monitoring.

Berlin to Udaipur 

So imagine our thrill when Udaipur Urja Initiatives (UUI)  agreed to open their doors to us. in June we set up a call with 6 women monitors from the UUI initiative. Bear in mind, that this was the first time the women monitors were in a conversation with people outside India through a Zoom call. They were fantastic in the format. 

Udaipur Urja Initiatives (UUI) Producer Company Limited operating within voluntary carbon markets was incubated and promoted by Seva Mandir, a pioneering development organization based out of Udaipur, Rajasthan. Since its inception in 2014, UUI has grown to create ethical markets for clean technology-based products and agro-produce for the poor and marginalized across five blocks/tehsils in Udaipur district. The company has created avenues of income for over 350 women from tribal communities.

Image: Google maps

The work of UUI was intriguing –  better still for us here at PowerSouth, it was our opening to a project site that was working with the Voluntary Carbon Market.  There have been so many project developers we have been speaking with in the last 6-7 months but it was only UUI that allowed us in and they actually had a good reason for it. Their work speaks to the principles they value and they were not afraid to get insights and feedback from us as outsiders. 

For PowerSouth, we wanted to know who these women monitors are who work at carbon projects and who contribute at the lowest level of the supply chain to the voluntary carbon credits trade. 

Why are we doing what we are doing?

Even in 2023 there remain gaps in understanding of local and cultural contexts. When cooperation happens for a good cause – the idea of ‘good’ is different from a northern perspective and it is different from a southern perspective and this could differ even more at the local perspective. When we spoke with one of the big carbon offset sellers based in Germany showing them a picture from their own brochure of a women in front of the cookstove – all smiles as usual. We asked them if they think the women from their projects were empowered. To which we got a ‘we hope so’ response. Our quest is to get behind the story of the smiling women and share what they are doing and how if carbon offsets has a strong social impact (with the willingness to spend more on investing in people rather than PR), the trust in this financial mechanism can increase. 

The PowerSouth team had the privilege to meet the many ‘Devis’ of the project – Rekha, Laxmi, Nirmala,Ramila, Kanku and Tara.  The Centre coordinator was also present – another Rekha, who helped with the translation to the local language where needed. The conversation happened in Hindi.  

Zoom Interview with UUI women/©PowerSouth

The women monitors present told us what role they play as women monitors and thereafter we jumped straight into the questions that would help us understand the local and gender context within the framework of social impact. 

I have confidence in me

All the women monitors shared how the UUI project on clean cookstoves made a big difference in their lives. The increase in level of confidence and facing people was unanimous.

‘First I would be very scared to step out of the house and talk to anybody. Now, be it 50 or 100 people, I can speak out without any fear’.

All of them also endorsed the importance of their work with UUI to ensure that they can take care of the children’s education – an education that could guarantee them a better future. As we understood, the husbands were far less interested in the education of the kids as they were rather keen to have a quick pair of hands to earn money. 

My son needs a son

The three of us who were part of the conversation from PowerSouth have grown up many decades ago about the cultural or patriarchal mandate of having a male child. In 2023, the norm continues – the women monitors shared that often a lot of them have many kids (girls) till the women bear a male child. This refreshed memories of the social,  physical and psychological pressures women in rural areas to deliver a male child bearing the burden and hardship.

Now everyone asks our opinion

All the monitors shared the attitudinal shift both at the household and at the community level. Before when they were only involved in household chores no one asked their opinion. Now the husbands, and also in-laws reach out to them for any decision making process. They also said how they have a say in purchases of new clothes – ‘saris’. First the women had to accept what the husband gave them, that situation has certainly changed they shared with a laugh!  

We are in the local decision making body

The most important takeaway for us and what embodies women empowerment at the societal level is that one of the monitors- Rekha Devi is now a part of the local decision making body also called the Gram Panchayat. The women recounted how first they never participated or spoke up neither were they encouraged. That has changed now – with the experience the women have garnered through UUI, the community is aware that the women are in the know and can manage tasks and are more than capable of decision making. Rekha is a channel for the many women voices at the local decision making body.

Last but not the least

Through the course of the work with UUI, the women have learned to use basic technology like mobile phones and the internet. Some of them also spoke of the support they received from their husbands through the process. They have more aspirations now, now that they have grown their wings!

Meet some of the Monitors of UUI

What is the opportunity?

At the outset, We REALLY  have to think across silos and carbon markets seem to have missed that path – where profit, quantitative metrics and capitalisation of the common good seems to be the framework of operation.

Despite the wonderful social impact results generated, UUI and other project developers have shared on how difficult it is to convince investors to open their overflowing purse-strings – as most investors rather put their focus and energy on bargaining for lower credit prices.

In this, we DO want to point fingers at the investors and carbon credit consumers – who want credits cheap! Who do not really care to  invest time and money about where the gains go as long as they have a neutral account. This is the chicken and egg situation that had landed us here in the first place and we remain foolish to stick to that path. Until we do not mainstream social, cultural and environmental concerns deeply we will not achieve deep rooted changes in the long run. 

Having said that small changes can go a long way (slow as it may seem) and we have to stop thinking big-bang all the time, because sometimes the solutions can be as simple as they come suited to the local context, creating ripple effects that can make communities more robust and resilient by bringing the neglected constituencies to the frontline.

Tasneem Balasinorwala has been working in the civil society sector at the local, national, and global level. She has also been a founder of Pune Tree Watch as a citizen action group. She has worked on a range of projects around biodiversity, cities, climate and water and sanitation, gender and anti-corruption and she has been consistently working in communications and advocacy, networking and community engagement. Tasneem is co-founder of PowerSouth.

Diya Deb is a non profit strategist with years of leadership and grassroots experience in both national and international organisations. She is passionate about campaigning, and amplifying the voice of the marginalized and is currently working out of Berlin. She is an ardent reader, loves photography and traveling. Diya is co-founder of PowerSouth.

We hope you enjoyed this blog – our humble attempt to bring to the spotlight the people at grassroots, the women and the marginalised communities – their stories, their context and their needs. We would love to get your feedback.

Please write to us at info@powersouth.de

More information: www.power-south.de