Clean Development Mechanism Voluntary Offset Projects

There are three mechanisms in place to facilitate the commitments of the Kyoto Protocol:

• Carbon Trading
• Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
• Joint Implementation (JI)

The CDM and the JI are project based mechanisms, in other words, they are meant to promote projects in another country which lead to reduced emissions of greenhouse gases, compared to what would have happened in the absence of the project. In case of the JI projects, both countries must have a reduction commitment under the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM projects happen in countries without a reduction commitment (“non-Annex-I”).

The ‘greenhouse effect’ is caused by certain gasses in the far upper atmosphere that reflect heat emitted from the Earth back to cause a steady warming. Ultra violet radiation is absorbed from the Sun and then re-emitted as infra red radiation. It is the Infra red radiation that is reflected back by greenhouse gasses. This effect is uniform around the globe as gasses diffuse to an even concentration. This means that the original location of greenhouse gas emissions/removals do not matter and removals on one side of the world can compensate for emissions on the other side of the world.

CDM projects are truly 100% additional as they operate in locations and societies that would either be unable to implement such projects themselves or unwilling as they are not obligated under Kyoto.It is more difficult to claim Additionality for similar styled projects in the UK as ‘Annex I’ countries have Kyoto commitments and the implementation of such projects can be counted towards government targets – essentially making the government’s task easier and not contributing additional reductions that could not have occurred without investment.

Investing in projects that actively achieve additional greenhouse gas emissions reductions or removals from the atmosphere means that a monetary value can be given per tonne of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent). There are many ways to conduct such projects but it is important to ensure the highest quality in auditable carbon credits.

When considering any environmental project it is of the utmost importance to ensure that any activities do not have adverse implications for other environmental issues.
Human driven CO2 emissions and climate change are environmental issues at the top of public and political agendas. However, climate change science is not separate from other environmental issues, nor is it separate from some of the most important social issues.

It is a sad fact that the people with the least available resources to protect their environment are also the people experiencing the worst of today’s environmental problems and climate change is exacerbating some already critical social scenarios.

The parts of monsoon India and Bangladesh that suffer the worst flooding are also home to some of the world’s poorest communities. Climate change is already causing increased flooding in the region and the situation is only likely to become more extreme in the coming decades.

In sub-Saharan Africa, droughts and associated famine are likely to become more common and there is evidence to suggest that climate change is already beginning to manifest new hardship to poor agricultural communities.

In the Darfur region of the Sudan, the once peaceful co-existence between African farmers and Arab camel herders has erupted into a civil war. This conflict has been described as the World’s First Climate Change War and the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum has declared a genocide emergency in the region.
This is a problem that conventional aid may fail to reconcile as increased drought, famine and desertification apply increased pressure on both agricultural and grazing communities.

Certain carbon related environmental issues are partnered with other equally important (although all too often overlooked) environmental issues.
Deforestation has implications to climate change as the removal of natural carbon sinks in the form of forests reduces the planets ability to remove or sequester carbon from the atmosphere.

However, deforestation also removes habitats for thousands (and sometimes millions) of different species of plants, animals and insects; it increases soil erosion that can lead to mudslides and eventually desertification; it can lead to changes in local ‘rain shadow’ patterns that govern which side of a watershed catchment rain falls on; and can even cause flash flooding.
There are also risks to human health associated with certain environmental problems. These can include health risks from localized air pollution, water born disease from flood waters, health risks from certain dangerous chemicals in food or water sources as well as the risks associated with extreme weather driven by climate change.

All the carbon offset projects that Carbon Managers invest in must conform to strict ethical guidelines. We only purchase carbon credits from schemes that meet specific criteria. Carbon Managers offset projects must involve:

• Sustainable Development – helping communities better themselves in a way that is socially, economically and environmentally sustainable.
• Welfare – projects must result in improvements to human quality of life and lead to safer living conditions for all participants.
• Environmental Security – projects must protect the local environment of the community in which they are undertaken and ensure that both short and long term improvements are achieved.
• Accountability – Projects must be monitored by independent bodies to ensure criteria are met and that target calculations are accurately reported.
• Transparency – All projects must be able to clearly demonstrate how and where all investment is utilized.
• Additionality – All projects must produce carbon reductions or removals that could not have taken place without project implementation.