Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)

California Climate Bill Vetoed But Not Forgotten

Arnold, the Green Bill Terminator, is back
Arnold, the Green Bill Terminator, is back http://healthtrain.blogspot.com/ After several months of in-district meetings with legislators, op-eds, letters, calls, and action alerts by over 90 stakeholder groups and their members, the campaign to pass Assembly Bill 1404 achieved what few at the beginning could have hoped for -- it passed the state legislature. According to Erin Rogers of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), which spearheaded the campaign, one of the Senators who was on the fence until about 2:00 a.m. the morning of the final vote (who did end up voting in favor) told

Crunching the Hydro Numbers 2009: Third Quarter Update on the CDM

Fig. 1: Projects entering the CDM pipeline
Updates: The number of projects that entered the CDM pipeline increased slightly from the second quarter, although it dropped 14% from the third quarter in 2008 (See Fig. 1). The percent of hydropower projects entering the CDM pipeline relative to all CDM projects has been on a downward trend since 2007 (see Fig. 2).  "An increasing number of registered projects, or even projects that have had their first monitoring report published, never materialise into CER generation." - Point Carbon analysts. The issuance of CERs has also dropped.

California's AB 1404 Passes!

The final AB 1404 Scoreboard
The final AB 1404 Scoreboard In a narrow 21-to-19 vote on Saturday, the California Senate passed AB 1404, which would strictly limit offsets in California's global warming program and entirely exclude the CDM! This landmark bill would make the California legislature the first US governmental body to put such strict limits on the use of offsets. According to Erin Rogers of the Union of Concerned Scientists, "If we cut global warming pollution in California, we will create local jobs, clean up the air, and promote clean energy technology. That's why more than 90 labor, pu

Development: NGOs Question World Bank's Clean Energy Roadmap

Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The World Bank's 2010 World Development Report (WDR), released Tuesday, calls on the developed world to lead global efforts to cut carbon emissions, but some civil society groups remain highly sceptical of the bank's role in brokering climate finance. The report sets out the annual development priorities for the World Bank and its affiliates, and has the potential to affect negotiations at a key meeting convened by the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen this December. "Developing countries are disproportionately affected by climate change – a crisis

UN Suspends Another CDM Auditor - SGS

Lightening over London
Lightening over London http://galleries.thelondonpaper.com/lightning-storm-london-august-2008/ Lightening never strikes the same place twice...except when you're a CDM auditor with problems that just won't take cover. After our very own thunderstorm in the Bay Area this weekend, I awoke to the news that yet another CDM auditor, this time SGS UK, has been suspended for bad practice according to The Sunday Times. SGS seems to be carrying on the (in)glorious tradition started by DNV, which was suspended last year. SGS's suspension also follows closely in the footsteps of the rec

Western Regional Climate Legislation

California Capitol Building
California Capitol Building © 2005 David Monniaux As California and the Western US develop their own global warming programs, carbon offsets, and the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in particularly, have been proposed as a cost-containment mechanism for industries transitioning into cleaner technologies. International Rivers works with local state partners like the Western Climate Advocates Network to warn against the impacts and abuses of the CDM, and to promote solutions that benefit local communities rather than rewarding polluters. Western Climate Initiative Carbon of

The CDM: Kyoto's Carbon Offsetting Scheme

Allain Duhangan Dam in Himachal Pradesh, India
Allain Duhangan Dam in Himachal Pradesh, India Michelle Arevalo-Carpenter, 2009 International Rivers’ experience in monitoring CDM projects has shown many serious flaws in its theory and application. Project proposal documents are marred by misleading and often patently false claims. International Rivers and others have explained these problems in numerous comments on specific hydro projects submitted during the CDM project approval process. Fudges, Fraud and Storytelling Many of the projects proposed (and many of those approved) for CDM credits are “non-additional.” This means that th

Making Your Voice Heard: A Citizen's Guide to the CDM

Monday, April 20, 2009
This presentation gives a general background to the CDM, goes through the entire CDM process step-by-step, points out opportunities for input from stakeholders and the public, and gives suggestions for writing comments. Download the pdf of the citizen's guide in English and Spanish.

Comments to California Air Resources Board on Offsets Under AB32

Thursday, May 21, 2009
Quality Criteria for Offsets Under AB32International Rivers submission to CARB (ccworkshops@arb.ca.gov) 21 May 2009 International Rivers provides the following comments regarding “Criteria for Compliance Offsets in a Cap-and-Trade Program” as presented at the stakeholder workshop on April 28th, 2009.International Rivers is in a unique position to offer comments on AB32’s offset program due to our having closely monitored the development and implementation of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), by far the world’s largest offset scheme, over the past decade. Our CDM work has included

Looking Back to Move Forward: Problems with the Current CDM

Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Presentation given by Christian Holz, PhD candidate at the University of Glasgow, on behalf of International Rivers at a symposium held by Friends of the Earth Japan. Download the pdf or powerpoint versions.

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