WATCH THIS! NGO Newsletter #7: Golden landscapes?
The Gold Standard Foundation (GFS) is expanding its project scope to land use and forestry projects. This raises many questions.
WATCH THIS! NGO Newsletter #7: Agriculture mitigation and carbon markets – unknown territory
Climate change remains a real threat to the humankind, and while this will not be limited to any specific sector, agriculture will also be threatened by climate change.
WATCH THIS! NGO Newsletter #7: Bonyic: an opportunity to comply with CDM rules and international law
Review of the Bonyic Hydroelectric Project’s request for registration will start. If rejected, the CDM Executive Board would be sending a strong message to the world for the need to comply with CDM rules and international law.
WATCH THIS! NGO Newsletter #7: Barro Blanco: A clear illustration of why CDM reform is needed
As we gear up for another round of climate talks, it is apparent that the time for CDM reform is now.
WATCH THIS! NGO Newsletter #7: The Mundra coal project in India, another battle against coal power in the CDM
Coal projects inflict a toxic burden on local peoples’ health and ecosystems while levels of greenhouse gas emissions remain very high for many years to come. The UNFCCC has yet to address this highly contentious form of climate finance. Under increased pressure from buyers of carbon credits, governments and civil society organizations, coal climate finance under the CDM must come to an end.
A case for pro-poor carbon projects (Watch This! #6)
Since early 2000 almost 7000 projects have sprouted on the UNFCCC registry, claiming reduction of more than 1.3 billion tonnes C02. All these projects except for a handful are corporately initiated, owned and controlled. The carbon being traded is an icing on the profit cake of companies, thus subsidizing initiatives that should otherwise be penalized. If there is further profit to be derived from carbon trading it should make way for the poor.
Soil carbon markets undermine concerns of small and marginal farmers (Watch This #6)
Agricultural emissions have been a source of intense debates in the UNFCCC since Copenhagen COP 15. Developed countries see it as huge potential for mitigation and some aim at using agricultural emission reductions as offsets. It is also alleged that 90% of the mitigation potential lies in soil carbon sequestration and mostly in developing countries. That gives rise to a potential danger of brining soil into carbon markets.
