Liberia's rentier outlook continues to look for sham solutions

 I'm really out of touch with Liberia's politics and news but this caught my eye: Carbon Market Could Unlock Millions for Liberia, But Policy Gaps Remain. See here: https://www.liberianobserver.com/news/carbon-market-could-unlock-millions-for-liberia-but-policy-gaps-remain/article_d98627ea-dfd5-468f-ae1d-3b6a3660ccfa.html?utm_campaign=blox&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&fbclid=IwY2xjawMU_5xleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHpuecRfq0CBuLy3-jONlE9WoymI_CebQEDVJZYkYxczQpGktAVETxJwVPF4p_aem_Sf9IGS5I3DQ7kHXNuSkraw. 

The title is lame and the article tries to make an analysis of sorts: there is a lot of corruption and government officials routinely block the work of rangers who want to make arrests for mangrove destruction, that this would contradict the vision to be food secure and invest in agriculture but it falls short of actually asking the main question. The main question that : what is the guarantee that these credits would actually help to the required development. 

From the little I understand, carbon credits are a sham and a distraction from the needed action. Monetising climate action is injury on insult.  See this random query on Google and , pulled up a piece from The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/revealed-forest-carbon-offsets-biggest-provider-worthless-verra-aoe: Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows. And, a quote: 

The forest carbon offsets approved by the world’s leading certifier and used by Disney, Shell, Gucci and other big corporations are largely worthless and could make global heating worse, according to a new investigation.  The research into Verra, the world’s leading carbon standard for the rapidly growing $2bn (£1.6bn) voluntary offsets market, has found that, based on analysis of a significant percentage of the projects, more than 90% of their rainforest offset credits – among the most commonly used by companies – are likely to be “phantom credits” and do not represent genuine carbon reductions.  

This carbon credit market is using weak states like Liberia with no sense of sovereignty, zero solid commitments to their own people's development, real economic and and foreign policies to create this smokescreen. Environmental protection has to be part and parcel of people's emancipation. So, carbon credits surely are not going to "unlock millions" by these weak corrupt states who can't even manufacture their own light bulb yet after 200 years of existing as an independent republic in Africa. 

Liberia's rentier outlook continues to look for sham solutions: auction minerals for throw away prices, privatise education (remember BRIDGE Academy?), and carbon credits.