Addressing Human Rights Violations in the CDM (Newsletter #14)

Three months on from our first report[1] about the Aguan biogas project[2] in Honduras, the difficult question of how to address human rights violations linked to CDM projects remains unresolved. However, encouraging precedents have been set by various players in the CDM. It is now up to policy makers at all levels, especially at UNFCCC …

Press Release: Environmental Groups Call for Extension of Industrial Gas Offsets Ban

Brussels. Today, the European Commission’s draft Regulation banning the use of credits from industrial gas projects in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) post-2012 was formally approved. Environmental groups are now calling on EU Member States to extend the ban to sectors not covered by the EU ETS.

Press Release: United Nations under Pressure to denounce Human Rights Abuses in Carbon Offsetting Scheme

Brussels.The United Nation’s Clean Development Mechanism Executive Board has so far failed to respond to human rights abuses linked to a carbon offsetting project in Honduras that is currently pending registration. Environmental and Human Rights Groups are now demanding that the project be rejected from receiving funding under the offsetting scheme.

Mtoni Dumpside CDM Project putting livelihoods of farmers and wastepickers at risk (Newsletter #13)

Guest comment by Finnigan Wa Simbeye, Tanzania Daily News So far, CDM biogas projects have been praised as the most sustainable projects implemented under the CDM. However, a recent eye witness report from a much touted biogas in Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam tells a different story. Carbon Credits from an Abandoned Dumpsite The …

Human Rights Violations in Honduras linked to Aguan Biogas Project continue (Newsletter #13)

Two months on from our first report[1] about the Aguan biogas project[2] in Honduras which is currently seeking registration under the CDM, human rights violations continue. See a video documentary (9.45 minutes) of March 2011 giving a good but shocking overview about how the current situation in Honduras is linked to the protests in the …

Press Release: CDM electricity projects produce artificial carbon credits from inflated emission factors, new study shows

Brussels. A new study published today finds that CDM Electricity Projects (e.g. wind farms and hydro dams) in China and India calculate carbon credits based on inflated grid emission factors. This will result in the issuance of an estimated 11 million carbon credits which do not represent real emissions reductions by 2012.

Carbon Capture and Storage in the CDM – Or how to squeeze more Oil out of the Ground with Carbon Credit (Newsletter #12)

The UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun added a new dimension to the CDM: Carbon capture and storage technologies in geological formations shall now be allowed to qualify under the CDM. This decision has been hailed as a victory by oil companies across the world, which could not believe their luck. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) …

Press Release: UN Issues Millions of Carbon Credits despite finding that Emission Reductions could be Overestimated

Cancun, Mexico. Climate Campaigners welcomed yesterday’s decision by the United Nations’ CDM Executive Board to suspend the crediting methodology for HFC-23 projects because it could lead to over-issuance of carbon credits. Revised rules will be presented in June 2011 but retro-active changes were not ruled out. CDM Watch called a separate decision to issue almost 20 million carbon credits to HFC-23 projects incoherent.