In May, climate negotiators will again gather to flesh out the rules to implement the landmark Paris climate agreement. One of the topics on the agenda is the Sustainable Development Mechanism. To be effective, the successor to the Clean Development Mechanism must guarantee real, measurable and long-term benefits both in terms of emission reductions and…
Brussels 19 April 2017. The European Commission has released a new study showing major flaws in carbon offsets from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). As countries flesh out the rules to implement the Paris Agreement, Carbon Market Watch calls for an end to the scheme, and a shift away from offsetting as a climate policy…
At the COP 22 climate conference in Marrakesh, countries continued debating the review of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which will serve as a model for the newly established Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM). Parties generally shied away from controversial topics, such as demands to establish a grievance mechanism. In order for the CDM review…
Marrakech, Morocco; Panama City, Panama – 10 November 2016: Last week, Panama withdrew its registration of the controversial Barro Blanco hydro dam project on grounds of stakeholder violation, a precedent under the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). While this decision is a step in the right direction for climate action, lessons need to be learned…
Just after the Paris Agreement enters into force, the world will reconvene in Marrakesh to put the interpretive meat on the bones of the Paris Agreement, including on the role of carbon markets, notably Cooperative Approaches and the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) in Article 6. In elaborating the rules of Article 6, Carbon…
The Swedish Energy Agency (SEA) has faced criticism for purchasing CDM carbon credits from a tree plantation project at Kachung, Uganda. The SEA signed a 20 year (2012-2032) purchase agreement with Norwegian company Green Resources, but later suspended payments due to problems with the project. In March 2016 the SEA announced that it would not…
On September 17, Ngäbe people rejected an agreement between top representatives and the government, signed only a month before. In the meantime, the test filling of the reservoir resumed which has flooded affected communities. Carbon Market Watch along with 80 other local and international NGOs, have called on the Panamanian authorities to withdraw the Barro…
Faced with intense national and international pressure, Panamanian authorities suspended the flooding of the Barro Blanco reservoir two weeks after it began. International lenders are being pressured by international NGOs as they have a key role in settling the situation. On May 22nd, Panama’s National Authority for Public Services (ASEP) announced a “test flooding” of…
The Paris Climate Conference agreed on strong provisions for markets, alongside provisions for non-market approaches. Next on the agenda is figuring out how these pieces work and fit together, how to improve and transition from the Kyoto Protocol’s measures -the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI), and how to integrate robust safeguards to…
In a move to bring the contentious Barro Blanco hydro dam project towards its completion, the Panamanian authorities have given the green light to begin flooding the reservoir. Affected indigenous communities still oppose the project, refusing to leave their endangered lands. Carbon Market Watch and other international NGOs have sent a letter to Panama’s President…
Kaisa Amaral, Communications Director
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