Watch This! NGO Voices on Carbon Markets #5

Despite severely over-supplied carbon markets and lacking mitigation commitments, countries are currently developing additional carbon market schemes. At the same time, countries are contemplating what changes are needed to the underlying rules of the CDM. They are also negotiating REDD and other approaches to reduce emissions from international aviation. Throughout all these developments it is of utmost importance to take into account the lessons from the past. In order to achieve real benefits for climate and people, your voice on carbon markets will be important!

The right choice by the native peoples of Panama (Watch This! #5)

Native forests threatened by Barro Blanco hydrodam. Photo courtesy of Oscar Sogandares By Oscar G. Sogandares, Spokesperson Asociación Ambientalista de Chiriquí Last month, the Coordination of Indigenous Peoples of Panama (COONAPIP) representing the seven indigenous peoples of Panama withdrew from the UN REDD Programme in Panama. In a letter to the UN, COONAPIP explains that …

The parallel universe of a CDM consultancy: a view from Hanoi (Watch This! #5)

Garbage dump in Hoang Cau, Hanoi (showing the contrasts in Hanoi). Source. By Mattijs Smits, PhD candidate at the University of Sydney and M-POWER research fellow The number of hydropower CDM projects has boomed in the last few years in Vietnam, on the back of a strong push for hydropower to meet the country’s rapidly …

Kalpavalli Community Conserved Forest harmed by CDM project (Watch This! #5)

Picture courtesy of Timbaktu Collective   By Dr.Leena Gupta, Senior Scientist, Society for Promotion of Wasteland Development, New Delhi The Nallakonda Windpower project is having negative environmental and socio-economic impacts on the neighboring Kalpavalli area. Over the last months, we raised the issues with this project to the Indian Ministry of Environment & Forests (DNA), the Andhra Pradesh State Government, …

Mega Dams and CDM fraud in Sikkim (Watch This! #5)

  By Jiten Yumnam, Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur In the state of Sikkim, land of rhododendrons, in the Himalayan foothills in India’s North East, rivers have been aggressively dammed over the last decades. Dam developers are pushing these projects as clean energy sources to seek carbon credits as additional profits from the UN …

Renewable Energy projects in India: Not a “Holy cow”! (Watch This! #5)

By Falguni Joshi, Gujarat Forum on CDM India is one of the biggest CDM host countries in the world. More than 2000 CDM projects are either already registered or under validation. More than 800 from these projects are wind power plants, 396 are biomass projects, 247 hydro power projects and 129 solar power projects. The …

Time to get in the loop! Nations must reduce aviation emissions (Watch This! #5)

  By Adela Putinelu, Carbon Market Watch The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is expected to agree this year on a market based mechanism to address aviation emissions. After the European Commission delayed its plan of including international aviation in its emissions trading scheme for one year, pressure is now on ICAO to ensure that …

Emissions trading and national carbon markets – Beware of past mistakes! (Watch This! #5)

  By Adela Putinelu, Carbon Market Watch The European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the largest emissions trading market internationally and the pillar of EU climate policy. But the scheme struggles with an over-supply of 2 billion tonnes of CO2, very low demand and record low allowance prices. Despite its controversial environmental integrity, …

CDM Review (Watch This! #5)

  By Eva Filzmoser, Carbon Market Watch   After the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol has ended, countries have decided to review the modalities and procedures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) this year. Changes to these underlying rules of the functioning of the CDM will be adopted at the next UNFCCC conference …