News & Press
Human rights council’s premises expected to deliver future climate treaty text
In less than one year, the world’s countries are expected to flesh out an agreement to address climate change and advert dangerous global warming. UN negotiators will meet for the first time in 2015 in Geneva with the goal to deliver a final negotiating text to form the basis for such a deal. This first session will also be significant because it will take place in the premises of the UN’s human rights council where UN delegates will have to find a solution to protect the world’s most vulnerable citizens from climate change while insuring their human rights.
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Carbon offsetting projects challenged over their sustainability impacts
In Lima, Carbon Market Watch together with local Indian launched the ‘CDM Benefit Tracker India’, an interactive map that compares the sustainable development objectives outlined in CDM project application documents with eye witness accounts from local communities. Project owners have now been invited to comment on the results that find severe discrepancies between claims and local realities.
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International human rights day adds pressure to implement safeguards in carbon markets
At the occasion of the international human rights day on 10 December 2014, the need to protect human rights in all climate actions will be high up on the agenda in Lima. The clock is ticking for delegates to put in place a robust institutional safeguards system for existing and new carbon markets to protect the people most vulnerable to climate change.
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Deadly protests against Guatemala hydro dam leave questions over UN Board’s project approval
In June, the UN Board of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) approved the contentious hydroelectric project Santa Ritadespite serious concerns over human rights violations. On 15 August 2014, a repressive security operation against the Q’eqchies communities of Cobán, Chisec and Raxruha by more than 1500 national police officers led to the forceful eviction of some 160 families resulting in three deaths, 50 injured, and a negative mark on the mechanism’s future. Carbon Market Watch is now calling for a formal investigation of the repressive actions and for the CDM’s Board to implement a grievance mechanism for affected communities.
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Campaign Focus: CDM needs to catch up with social standards already in place for other mechanisms
A new chance to address the shortcomings of the CDM to implement robust public participation rules was born last year at the climate change conference in Warsaw where Parties requested the UNFCCC secretariat to collect information on practices for local stakeholder consultation and providetechnical assistance for the development of guidelines upon the request of countries. In June, at a recent Africa Regional Workshop in Windhoek Namibia, Designated National Authorities (DNAs) discussed how improvements to the role of local stakeholder consultations could be made and how to sustainable development impacts of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects can be monitored. Carbon Market Watch participated at this two day capacity building workshop and highlighted that best practice guidance on how to implement existing rules is still needed.
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Contentious Santa Rita hydro dam project given UN go ahead
In June, members of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Executive Board unanimously approved the Santa Rita Hydroelectric dam project #9713 despite widespread concerns that the local stakeholder consultation was not conducted correctly resulting in alleged human rights violations.
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Friend of the Court Brief filed in Panamanian Case challenging CDM project Barro Blanco (Newsletter #4)
The infamous CDM Barro Blanco hydro power project, registered in 2011, continues to cause unrest amongst indigenous communities in Panama. Civil society organizations filed a letter in an ongoing domestic lawsuit in a Panamanian court, after a visit by UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples who concluded that the government should have ensured adequate consultation. Despite the negative impacts on the Ngöbe communities, the CDM remains without remedies for affected people to appeal against CDM projects that violate applicable international, including international human rights laws.
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Reforming the CDM: Mission Impossible? (Newsletter #3)
At the upcoming intercessional conference starting on 3 June in Germany, Parties will discuss revisions to the rules that govern the CDM. We highlight the most important issues that need to be addressed in order to strengthen the environmental and social integrity of the CDM. This year Parties will revise the rules that govern the…
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Resuscitating the Clean Development Mechanism (Newsletter #2)
During the 7th Conference of the Parties (COP-7) held in Marrakesh in 2001, Parties to the Kyoto Protocol decided to review the modalities and procedures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and agree upon a revised set of rules at COP-19. Although the political decisions taken at COP-18 in Doha ignored the severe quality concerns…
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CDM Executive Board – Bad timing for wrong-headed decisions (Newsletter #1)
See Newsletter #1, November 2012 At its last meeting in September, CDM Executive Board made a series of unfortunate decisions. At their upcoming meeting in Doha they will again discuss a number of important issues. At a time when carbon markets are collapsing due to severe oversupply, the CDM needs to be significantly reformed. Board…
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