Suriname is in the final phase of negotiations on the sale of carbon credits. According to Minister Patrick Brunings of Olie, Gas en Milieu (OGM; Oil, Gas and Environment), there is considerable international interest in Suriname’s carbon credits. The government expects the sale could soon generate millions of US dollars for the country.
“We are now in the final phase of trading the carbon credits,” Brunings stated. According to him, positive talks were recently held with several major German companies that have expressed interest in Suriname’s carbon credits.
“All of them are interested in our high-quality carbon credits,” the minister said. Negotiations on the selling prices are still ongoing. Brunings is optimistic that Suriname will receive revenue from the sale in the short term.
The interior must benefit from the proceeds
According to Brunings, Suriname has high-quality carbon credits for which substantial amounts can be paid on the international market. The government wants to use a significant part of the expected proceeds for the development of Indigenous and tribal communities.
In that context, talks were recently held with representatives of these communities. According to the minister, the intention is for residents of the interior in particular to benefit from the revenue.
According to Brunings, the potential buyers stipulate that the proceeds must be spent responsibly and reach social projects that genuinely contribute to the development of the communities concerned.
Forest protection and making gold mining more sustainable
In addition to social investments, the government wants to use the revenue to protect Suriname’s forest area and reduce environmental damage caused by gold mining.
The minister pointed to the harmful consequences of gold mining activities for nature and stressed that the government intends to make improvements using the expected funds.
“With this revenue, we want to bring about improvement, and this will mean a great deal for the community in the interior,” Brunings stated.
Another important focus is making gold mining more sustainable. According to the minister, the proceeds from carbon credits must contribute to measures that limit the negative effects of this sector on the environment.
Although the minister speaks of an advanced negotiation process, it is not yet known how many carbon credits Suriname will actually sell, what price will be paid for them, or when the first revenue will be received. No final sales agreements have yet been announced.
