Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting, Verification, and Certification of Climate Change Mitigation Projects

Abstract

Monitoring and evaluation of climate change mitigation projects is needed to accurately determine the net greenhouse gas (GHG), and other, benefits and costs, and to ensure that the global climate is protected and that country obligations are met. One of the objectives of this chapter is to examine the Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) Pilot experience in monitoring and evaluation, in order to assist the development of modalities for monitoring, evaluation, reporting, verification, and certification (MERVC) for Clean Development Mechanisms (CDM) and joint implementation (JI) projects. Another objective of this chapter is to provide guidance on how one should go about monitoring, evaluating, reporting, verifying, and certifying climate change mitigation projects based on a review of the literature and our previous work on developing MERVC guidelines for energy-efficiency and land-use change and forestry (LUCF) projects.The five-year AIJ Pilot is still in its early stages (most projects were started in 1997–98) and offers little insight into the experience of monitoring and evaluation so far. Evaluation of some of these projects is starting to improve our understanding of key MERVC issues, and we anticipate more evaluations of these projects in the near future. Nevertheless, we agree with the findings of the second synthesis study on the AIJ Pilot that concluded that work needed to be conducted on methodological, technical and institutional issues, including modalities for measurement, reporting and assessment. We also agree with the findings from a recent OECD study on emission baselines for AIJ projects which concluded that simple reporting measures were needed for improving the transparency and comparability of different projects (for AIJ, JI and CDM projects), including project-specific emission baselines.Some MERVC issues have been examined in the AIJ pilot, but future investments are needed to refine methods and protocols in support of the Kyoto Protocol mechanisms. Some progress has been made in the development of guidance documents for the MERVC of energy-efficiency and forestry projects, but more work needs to be done for developing internationally agreed MERVC guidelines: e.g., evaluation of additionality, free riders, project leakage, positive project spillover, market transformation, environmental impacts, and socioeconomic impacts. A community of MERVC evaluators and verifiers has been developed in response to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) AIJ pilot, and these individuals and organizations are involved in working on the details of implementing the modalities for measurement, reporting and assessment. Institutional and human capacity building is sorely needed to implement future CDM and JI projects, as well as emissions trading regimes.Key wordsmonitoringevaluationreportingverificationcertificationguidelinesmethodsinstitutionsClean Development Mechanismjoint implementationemissions tradingKyoto ProtocolActivities Implemented JointlyUNFCCCadditionalitybaselineproject leakagefree ridersmarket transformationenvironmental impactssocioeconomic impacts