Who gains from saving nature
Ledger 1 : 33 — For each dollar financing nature-based solutions in 2023, about $33 financed activities harmful to nature. (UNEP)
Cases / Carbon credits · Bolivia · 1997–2010

Bolivian carbon scheme claimed 55 million tonnes; review found at most 5.8 million

Short record: the main facts, with sources. A full case file has not been prepared.

Nature's voice · report
No measurement of the harm done to me here is on record.
Did nature suffer? Not measured.
Not on record
  • The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
What the record lacks: 3 none on record · 1 not measured · 1 unclear See the gaps

The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia was set up by TNC with BP and two electricity companies. Its claimed savings were far above the figure a Greenpeace review found.

What?
The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project claimed 55 million tonnes of savings; a Greenpeace review found at most 5.8 million tonnes. The Nation (J. Hari)
Where?
When?
Who?
Gained
  • BP — partner in the scheme; ties to TNC included a seat on its International Leadership Council
  • The Nature Conservancy (TNC) — accepted about $10 million in cash and land from BP
Lost
None on record
Harmed
None on record
Why?
Not stated in the sources reviewed.
How?
The 55 million tonne figure was a claim; the 5.8 million tonne figure came from a Greenpeace review, and the sources do not describe the baseline used. The Nation (J. Hari)
6 of 6 questions answered from the record

What happened

The record, in order.

The Noel Kempff Climate Action Project in Bolivia, set up by TNC with BP and two electricity companies, ran from 1997 to 2010 and claimed savings of 55 million tonnes.

A Greenpeace review, reported in The Nation in March 2010, found savings of at most 5.8 million tonnes.

TNC accepted about $10 million in cash and land from BP over several years and gave BP a seat on its International Leadership Council.

BP's chief executive John Browne sat on Conservation International's board from 2000 to 2006, and CI received $2 million from BP.

    In court and with insurers

    Every proceeding and every insurer decision on record.

    Lawsuits and rulings

    No court case on record. No court has ruled on this case.

    Insurers

    No insurer decision on record.

    What we don't know

    Undisclosed, unproven, untried: recorded as data.

    Nature

    • Not measured Harm to nature: The record holds no measurement of harm to nature.

    Record

    • None on record The BP payments to TNC and Conservation International, and the board seat details, have no source link in the sources reviewed.
    • None on record The baseline and counting method behind the 55 million tonne claim are not stated.
    • Unclear Whether any credits were sold, and to whom, is not stated.
    • None on record Changes to the forest after 2010 are not stated.

    Did the harm stop?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Who paid?

    Not stated in the sources reviewed.

    Sources

    Voices on record: — Company or project— Government and regulators— Courts✓ Press and investigations— Communities and civil society— Researchers

    Press and investigations

    1. The wrong kind of green
      The Nation (J. Hari) · 2010-03-04

    Connected cases

    Related matters, and cases linked to this one through the same organisations, with the role each played in both.

    Places and local terms

    Conservancy (Kenya)
    In Kenya, land managed by a community or private owners for wildlife alongside grazing, often with outside partners.

    Carbon and conservation finance

    Baseline
    The projected scenario of what would have happened without a project, such as an expected rate of deforestation. Credits are issued for the difference between the baseline and what actually happened, so an inflated baseline produces more credits.

    Law and courts

    Plea
    In a criminal case, the defendant's formal answer to a charge. A plea agreement settles a case with a guilty plea on agreed terms.

    Insurance

    Captive insurer, self-insurance
    A company covering its own risks, either directly or through an insurance company it owns.

    Bonds and banking

    Guarantee
    A commitment by a third party, often a development bank, to pay if the borrower does not.