Namati: New Carbon Market Rules Recognize Community Rights

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- A new standard from carbon certifier Verra incorporates principles from the Grassroots Justice Network and frontline communities around the globe. The updated rules increase transparency, strengthen communities' right to free, prior, informed consent, and require revenue sharing with communities.

Drawing on experience responding to carbon projects in more than 20 countries, members of the Grassroots Justice Network identified six principles necessary to make carbon projects fair. As Elijah Lempaira of Impact Kenya notes, "Without access to information, fair benefit sharing and genuine participation from local communities, justice is lost."

Verra's updated standard reflects input from Namati and the Grassroots Justice Network, an alliance of justice groups from 180 countries. The new rules address common challenges in carbon projects and give communities greater power. Specifically:

• All land-based projects must obtain the free, prior, informed consent of affected communities. Developers and communities need to agree on a legally binding contract—this gives communities an opportunity to set the terms under which a project can move forward.
• Project developers must share financial information with communities, including the total revenue received from carbon credit sales.
• Project developers must share a portion of revenue with local communities for any projects on community land.

"Today's changes are a step towards carbon justice," said Namati CEO Vivek Maru.

Many communities want to pursue carbon projects if the terms are fair. For example, in October 2025, with legal support from Namati, more than 220 communities in Sittia Chiefdom, Sierra Leonesigned a carbon agreement guided by the same carbon justice principles that shaped recommendations to Verra. That new agreement protects 79,000 hectares of mangrove forests (four times the size of Washington, D.C.). Communities will take the lead in stewarding the mangroves, and will receive at least 40% of gross revenue.

We call for new commitments in the Verra standard to be reflected in other standards like ART-TREES and The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market's Core Carbon Principles.

Going forward, we would like to see further improvements in carbon standards, including a minimum proportion of gross revenue for local communities and a requirement that buyers of carbon credits responsibly curb their own emissions.

Namati advances social and environmental justice by building a movement of people who know, use, and shape the law. Namati also convenes the Grassroots Justice Network, the world's largest network of grassroots justice practitioners. Learn more at namati.org and grassrootsjusticenetwork.org.

Contact: Amanda Padilla, Acting Director, Strategic Engagement, Namati amandapadilla@namati.org

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SOURCE Namati