carbon sovereign sabah

Carbon Sovereign Sabah emerged in response to the signing of a Nature Conservation Agreement between the Sabah State Government and a Singapore-based company that granted exclusive rights to monetise 2 million hectares of Sabah’s forest reserves for carbon and non-carbon assets — without the Free, Prior, and Informed Consent of the indigenous communities that surround and inhabit them. An advocacy campaign envisioning a future of carbon sovereignty for Sabah, CSS aspires to elevate carbon and climate literacy and discourse through convenings, conversation and knowledge sharing locally, regionally and beyond.

‍

Civil society groups came together in December 2022 to form Carbon Sovereign Sabah, an open campaign aimed at increasing carbon literacy in the state and empowering Sabahans with knowledge of their rights to autonomy and self-determination.  The campaign was first introduced to the public on 21st December 2021 via Instagram @carbonsovereignsabah, where the digital graphic content is aimed at educating Sabahans on the realities of carbon trading — in both the local and global spheres — and their rights in relation to the emerging world of carbon finance.