Michael Greene is chief executive of Agfor, a carbon credit developer with projects in Brazil. On Wednesday July 25, a story in the Washington Post mentioned his projects and this is his response, which has been sent to the Editors of the Washington Post.

I am writing to address the recent article concerning my involvement in REDD projects in the Amazon.

While I appreciate the attention to this critical issue, your report contains inaccuracies, defamation, and misrepresentations that have unfairly tarnished my reputation and undermined the vital work of REDD.

Your article has prevented indigenous groups from realising their dreams and wiped about $197 million in potential earnings that would serve 18,000 people who live in utter poverty from reaching Sustainable Development Goals.

If the indigenous lands are so heavily protected as they are under the arm of the government, then why do so many indigenous communities face this onslaught of illegal miners and loggers?

The Munduruku as part of their REDD project shut down over 900 gold mines that were were polluting their rivers, their food and water supply, and they shut them down by calling the authorities with the expectation that REDD would be the substitute.

They have 11 water wells in 170 villages, with a population of 15,000 people.

The dream of the Munduruku was to drill water wells as their children already have developmental issues as their entire food supply is laced with the remnants of those gold mines.

The fish supply is tainted with mercury as the gold mines destroyed their cultural food supply.

The animals that drink from the rivers are tainted with mercury and there are not enough wild animals to feed 15,000 indigenous people.

So what do the Munduruku want to do? They want to grow more food that does not rely on the rivers.

They were planning on doing this with the proceeds of REDD, but now the Washington Post has destroyed that opportunity.

On August 23, 2023, the Washington Post covered all the illegal gold mines on land that is supposedly protected by the government, including those in the region of Tapajos.

The news story should have praised the Munduruku for going above and beyond anything that has ever occurred in another REDD project rather than trying to denigrate their projects.

The article paints a false picture of Agfor, my company, as a “pirate” operation developing “dubious” REDD projects. This could not be further from the truth.

Agfor did not just magically come up with 19 projects that are some of the largest REDD projects in the world, last year at our height we had 130 employees, and 20,000 traditional people that have signed up and participated in workshops for our projects at one time or another.

If you ask all the REDD projects how many illegal loggers, land grabbers or illegal mining groups have been sued.

It will shock you when I say this, however Agfor has sued more than all other REDD projects in the world combined.

The reason is, we like to do REDD projects where there is eminent threat to the forest.

We want to earn the credits we are selling, and when the threats arise we want to address them with clear and defined legal action, using a large legal team.

Fact 1: Agfor has never developed a Verra-certified REDD project on public land. I do not have four REDD projects in Portel, Pará, as claimed.

I have only developed one project and provided uncontracted support to three others.

Fact 2: The public title in question arose in June and August 2022, affecting approximately 30% of the Rio Anapu-Pacaja REDD project.

Agfor immediately ceased verification activities and continued providing social benefits to the 2,200+ families involved in the project until Verra suspended it in September 2023.

Our extensive social work, including building schools and health clinics, is well-documented and available on our website.

Fact 3: Agfor has a proven track record of fulfilling its commitments to local communities, investing in new schools, health clinics, housing, and other essential infrastructure.

Our schools are greenfield projects.

Fact 4: Agfor has actively fought against illegal logging and land grabbing, filing over 170 lawsuits and facing significant threats as a result.

Fact 5: The public defender’s lawsuits against me are based on a complaint originally filed against other parties, not Agfor. We have worked with numerous indigenous groups to develop REDD projects that empower them and protect their lands.

The article’s claims of vast profits from carbon credits are also misleading.

Millions have been invested, and the recent negative media campaign has factually resulted in significant losses for both Agfor and the indigenous communities we partner with.

This ongoing onslaught of negative media, seemingly timed to coincide with my active involvement in REDD projects, has had a devastating impact.

It has forced us to downsize, jeopardised the livelihoods of indigenous communities, and undermined the credibility of REDD as a crucial tool for conservation.

Agfor is pursuing legal action against journalists who have falsely accused us of developing on public land or developing projects without authorisation.

The Cinta Larga people, whose REDD projects have been impacted, are also seeking damages.

The Cinta Larga gained authorisation in 2011 to develop their carbon credit projects, they are approved, they have the authorisation and they are being blasted in the news.

We remain committed to our mission of protecting the Amazon rainforest and empowering indigenous communities.

We will continue to fight for the truth and for the integrity of REDD.

There will be more news to come over the next 30 days as this situation plays out and we will update those who support REDD, on my campaign for truth and justice to be heard.