EarthBeat Weekly: Unintended costs of climate action in Tanzania

Unintended costs of climate action surface in Tanzania   EarthBeat Weekly Your weekly newsletter about faith and climate change October 17, 2025   A Maasai woman carries her baby outside her hut in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in northern Tanzania. Evictions have hit women and children especially hard, disrupting education, health care and family livelihoods. (GSR photo/Doreen Ajiambo) In northern Tanzania, hundreds of thousands of Maasai herders in recent years have been evicted or pressured to leave their ancestral lands.  The reason?  Government-backed conservation and carbon offset initiatives. "This land held our lives," Nkaitole Ole Lengai told Doreen Ajiambo, Africa-Middle East correspondent for Global Sisters Report. "Now they say it belongs to tourism. To carbon. But not to us." For many in the region, the loss is not only physical but spiritual, Ajiambo reports. The Maasai see the land as a sacred gift entrusted by God, woven into their prayers, rituals and daily life. Catholic sisters and priests who minister among them say eviction strikes at the heart of both faith and identity. "When people lose their land, they also lose their dignity and their place in God's creation," said a Good Shepherd sister and pastoral worker in northern Tanzania, who asked not to be named for safety reasons. "Land is not just soil — it is where life and faith come together." As world leaders prepare to gather in November in Belém, Brazil for COP30, the United Nations climate conference, the Maasai's story is gaining global resonance. With carbon markets and so-called nature-based solutions set to take center stage at the summit, advocates warn that what is unfolding in Tanzania is a harbinger of what could happen elsewhere: climate action that displaces communities in the name of environmental progress. "This is not only a problem for the Maasai — it's a warning for the whole world," said Lemayian Ole Sanka, a climate justice advocate from Arusha. "If carbon markets keep growing without proper rules, other communities could also lose their land." Read More: As COP30 nears, Maasai evictions expose the dark side of carbon markets   What else is new on EarthBeat:   Vatican pledges to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by Brian Roewe The Holy See said it will cut its emissions within the Vatican City State by at least 28% by 2035 compared to 2011 levels.   Read more here »   Brazilian leader praises papal document on poverty, invites pope to COP30 by Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service During a private audience with Pope Leo XIV, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva invited the pope to the upcoming U.N. Climate Change Conference, being held for the first time in the heart of the Amazon region. Read more here »   Jane Goodall saw nature as a spiritual sanctuary by Joshua M. Greene, Religion News Service She reminded us that 'sacred' is best defined not by doctrine but the living planet we call earth, and that the true test of faith is whether we can treat the earth and all its inhabitants, human and other-than-human, with the reverence they deserve. Read more here »   Tackle ecological debt, protect biodiversity and change hearts, says Vatican diplomat by Gina Christian, OSV News The Holy See's diplomat to the United Nations has called for three key priorities in addressing the global crises of poverty, conflict and climate change. Read more here » What's happening in other climate news:   Coral collapse signals Earth's first climate tipping point —Carolyn Gramling for ScienceNews Renewable energy is booming despite Trump's efforts to slow it —Rebecca F. Elliott for The New York Times Soaring electricity bills could be the sleeper campaign issue of 2025 —Evan Halper for the Washington Post California sues Trump administration over 'Solar for All' program cancellation —Hayley Smith for the Los Angeles Times Judge dismisses suit by young climate activists against Trump's pro-fossil fuel policies —Maya Yang for the Guardian Data centers are booming. But there are big energy and environmental risks —Michael Copley for NPR What we stand to lose if national monuments fall —Josh Jackson for High Country News Final Beat:   Autumn is here, which brings with it the annual quagmire of how best to handle all the leaves that fall into our yards.  A recent article in The New York Times spoke with ecologists about a two-year study that examined the pros and cons of common approaches — remove the leaves, mulch them, leave them — and their impacts on backyard ecosystems. Its findings are worth examining. At my home here in Kansas City, I lean toward a mix of mulching and leaving. Letting them all lie would lead to several feet of leaves, thanks to nine trees and a 10th, particularly generous one, in my neighbor's yard. How do you approach the fall challenge of falling leaves? Drop us a note at earthbeat@ncronline.org.  Until next week, thanks for reading EarthBeat.   Brian Roewe Environment Correspondent National Catholic Reporter broewe@ncronline.org     Featured Advertisers   Learn more about graduate theological studies at Boston College - 100% of master’s students receive financial support.   Advertisement