India, Dec. 29 -- Carbon offset schemes have expanded rapidly across Africa in recent years.

Communities say projects have restricted access to land and traditional livelihoods.

Critics argue most financial benefits flow to investors and intermediaries abroad.

Environmental groups question whether offsets reduce global emissions at all.

African governments face growing pressure to regulate opaque carbon markets.

When carbon offset schemes were introduced in Africa at the turn of the millennium, they were promoted as a climate solution that could deliver benefits on two fronts, generating revenue for countries with vast carbon sinks while helping to reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. More than two decades on, however, communit...