In December 2011, the European Commission published the “Study on the integrity of the Clean Development Mechanism”[1]. Under European Commission contract, this study was carried out by AEA, the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS) and CO2logic. The study consists of one final report presenting the findings of seven accompanying briefing papers. The objectives of this study were to develop an in-depth understanding on the current CDM system (its merits and shortcomings) and options for reform as well as potential alternative mechanisms and their impacts.
The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) was designed to bring clean and sustainable development to poor countries while enabling rich countries to achieve their emissions reductions cost efficiently. Hydro power makes up 30% of all carbon offsets projects registered under the CDM. Despite delivering renewable energy, these projects have faced sharp criticism for their failure to reduce emissions and for negative social and environmental impacts.
CDM Watch was very active at COP 17. We published our own newsletter “Watch This!”, organised several events, collaborated with many other NGOs and lobbied delegates. We mainly focused on issues related to the CDM, particularly on human rights, public participation, appeals procedure, coal power projects and CCS in the CDM. We also covered issues beyond the CDM, such as Joint Implementation, new market mechanisms and the existing loopholes in the rules of the conventions. Our booklet is a compilation of outputs in Durban.
Policy note prepared by the Stockholm Environment Institute in addition to their study released a few weeks before examining concerns with awarding offset credits to coal power projects under the CDM. The note briefly assesses the ability of potential revisions to address key concerns with ACM0013 in particular and with CDM coal power projects in general.
To date, 42 developed countries (Annex 1) have submitted pledges. Fulfilment of the developed country pledges is projected to reduce emissions by up to 4 billion tons (Gt) CO2e in 2020 from “business as usual” (UNEP 2010). This is about one third of the estimated 12 GtCO2e of emissions reductions that would be needed to remain on a path consistent with keeping warming below 2°C (UNEP 2011). Unfortunately, weaknesses in international emissions accounting could substantially weaken these already insufficient pledges, negating much if not all of their intended emissions benefits. In this paper, we address the following five “loopholes” in the existing negotiation framework.
Hydropower makes up 16% of installed electricity capacity worldwide and is in many cases already cost competitive and/or strongly supported by government policies. Hydropower makes up 30% of all carbon offsets projects registered under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – just over 1000 projects as of 1 September 2011, the most of any project type.
Dear CDM Watch Network Members, This is a summary of the most relevant outcomes of the last CDM Executive Board meeting. It was a shorter meeting than usual (since it was an extra meeting that was held just 1 month after the 63th meeting). You find information about the discussions and decisions at the meeting, …
Read more “Summary of the 64th CDM Executive Board Meeting”
This paper examines several issues that arise in awarding emission reduction credits to coal projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It identifies systematic weaknesses in the coal methodology’s (ACM0013) design and application. The authors estimate that shortcomings lead to significant over-crediting of Certified Emission Reductions and discuss why a revision of the methodology to more accurately estimate emissions reductions may not be possible because of data constraints and weak signal-to-noise ratio.
CDM Watch summarizes the most relevant outcomes of the last CDM Executive Board meeting. The 64th Board meeting will be held 24‐26 October 2011, less than a month from now and the 65th meeting will be just ahead of the COP in Durban, 21‐25 November 2011. We added links to relevant documents as possible and we welcome your …
Read more “Summary of the 63rd CDM Executive Board Meeting”
The CDM now allows new coal plants to earn tradeable emissions credits for claimed improvements in power plant efficiency. This Policy Brief explains why coal projects do not belong in the CDM. They would have been built in the absence of the CDM, i.e. the projects that have come forward to date are uniformly ‘non-additional’ and will therefore generate carbon credits that do not represent real emission reductions. They also conflict with the CDM’s sustainability objectives by inflicting toxic burdens on local populations and ecosystems while undermining climate mitigation goals by locking in billions of tons of CO2 emissions over decades to come instead of investing in renewable energies and a low carbon development path.