New Frontiers of Resource Control: A Focus on Carbon Colonialism in Africa

The climate crisis is among the most urgent global challenges of our time, marked by rising sea levels, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, and deepening socio-economic disruptions. It amplifies existing inequalities, with communities in the Global South bearing the heaviest burdens.

Despite overwhelming evidence for rapid decarbonisation, greenhouse gas emissions continue to soar, driven largely by the fossil fuel, energy, and aviation sectors. While transformative systemic change is essential, global responses have increasingly turned to market-based solutions.

This seminar examines voluntary carbon markets, which allow high-emitting industries to “offset” emissions through projects—mostly in the Global South—that claim to reduce or capture carbon. Their rapid expansion raises serious concerns about both effectiveness and human rights, including forms of “carbon colonialism” and “carbon violence.”

This interdisciplinary and international seminar explores how carbon offset governance can be reimagined to support community-led initiatives that prevent elite capture and deliver genuine, equitable benefits to local communities.

Keynote speaker

Professor Kennedy Mkutu, United States International University Africa, Kenya

Speakers

Professor Kristen Lyons, University of Queensland

Raghav Jagannathan, Monash University

Dr Nceku Nyathi, Department of Management, Monash Business School

Moderators

Associate Professor Jagjit Plahe, Department of Management, Monash Business School