Clean Development Mechanism Research Articles

Multi-Objective Optimization of Integrated Surface and Groundwater Resources Under the Clean Development Mechanism

Multi-Objective Optimization of Integrated Surface and Groundwater Resources Under the Clean Development Mechanism

Clean development mechanism implementation: External and organizational factors drives expected business benefits

AbstractThis study aims to deal with the challenge of rationalizing and testing the interrelationships assumptions of external and organizational factors in the case of clean development mechanism implementation. Prior studies are lacking to introduce the expected business benefits as a mediator between external factors and clean development mechanism implementation. The moderating effect of environmental resources was rationalized and evaluated. The data were collected from 130 ISO 14001 certified manufacturing firms and analyzed using the partial least squares technique. The results revealed that expected business benefits mediate the impacts of all considered external factors and cause an insignificant direct association between market pressure and mechanism implementation. Organizational resources moderate positively the impact of competitor pressure on mechanism implementation. The findings extend the literature by illustrating the dependency of external factors and organizational factors and challenging the results of the studies, which have been driven by independence assumption. The findings are enabling policy‐makers and managers to effectively modify the strategies for enhancing the extent of mechanism implementation.

A critical analysis of CDM implementation in landfills in Rio de Janeiro after 2012: reflections on its socio-environmental contribution capacity in the Brazilian solid waste treatment sector

ABSTRACT The paper reports a study of Clean Development Mechanism implementation in landfills in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. CDM is supposed to promote sustainable development through projects of GHG emission reductions. This analysis focuses on the power relationships behind the socio-political process of adopting the mechanism in landfills where emissions have been reduced by the breakdown of biodegradable waste. Sociological concepts such as ‘ecological practices’; ‘market’ and ‘environmental justice’ were used for the analysis. CDM’s neoliberal traits combined with local economic interests that shape the waste management domain in Rio can affect the mechanism’s capacity to promote local social-environmental progress.

Overview of Legal and Policy Measures of Carbon Trading and Renewable Energy Certificate (REC) In India

It is scientifically well proven facts that carbon dioxide is the main cause of greenhouse gas emission by burning of fossils fuels. Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) empower the parties to curb greenhouse gas emissions from the diverse industries by elaborating the mechanisms of Clean Development Mechanism Joint Implementation, and Emission Trading. This has created an international market for carbon trading. The paper addresses the global and Indian’s national carbon trading system, starting with the UNFCCC, and Kyoto Protocol comprising carbon credit components. The paper also tries to examine the obligation of India under the Kyoto protocol and later discuss the legal and policy framework implemented by India to encourage CDM and carbon trading in India. It traces different policy measures like National Action Plan and State Action Plans on Climate Change, National Mission on Enhanced Energy Efficiency (NMEEE), Climate Change Action Program, 2010, Perform Achieve and Trade (PAT), Renewable Energy Credit Trading System (REC), PILOT ETS in some Indian provinces, the significant arrangements of Energy Conservation Act, 2001 and The Environmental Protection Act, 1986, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 are likewise examined. This paper further discusses the positives and negative aspect of this scheme and also its review, criticisms and problems. It ends by providing an Indian perspective to this scheme. Study of this paper would be especially beneficial for the governments, stakeholders and research scholars to know the whole legal and policy mechanism of carbon trading.

Technology Transfer Oriented to Sustainable Development: Barriers and Opportunities

The process of technology transfer is complex and involves a series of factors and variables. Within this process, it is common that transferor and transferee might face several barriers. Furthermore, processes involving innovation and technology transfer must consider the impacts for the sustainable development. Taking these aspects into account, this paper aims to identify the barriers and opportunities in technology transfer oriented to sustainable development. To reach this goal, a systematic review of literature was carried out using the methodology Methodi Ordinatio. A portfolio composed of 107 scientific articles was built. The results demonstrate the main barriers, among which we can mention unavailability of financial resources or subsidies to obtain or implement a certain technology, and bureaucracy to obtain these resources. On the other hand, some opportunities can also be found, like Clean Development Mechanism and policies and regulations that favour the adoption and diffusion of clean technologies. Thus, this paper contributes to the academy by exploring the interconnections of Technology Transfer and Sustainable Development in the literature. This paper also contributes to the presentation of knowledge resources — information regarding barriers and opportunities to technology transfer oriented to sustainable development — so that governments and decision makers could define policies and strategies for a more effective process.

The economic effects of clean development mechanism afforestation and reforestation project: evidence from China

PurposeForestry carbon sink (FCS) is not only an important measure to deal with the current global climate change but also an effective way to build an ecological civilization. As an important form of implementation of FCS, the afforestation and reforestation projects under the clean development mechanism (CDM A/R) have important functions such as ecological protection and economic growth. This paper aims to evaluate the short-term and long-term impact of CDM on the county economy and its impact mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThis paper first uses propensity score matching to match the county (treatment group). Second, this paper uses difference in difference to estimate the net effect of CDM A/R project on county economic development to reduce estimation error. Finally, the impact mechanism of implementing CDM A/R project on county economic development was tested.FindingsThe CDM A/R project has significantly promoted the development of real gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita real GDP in the region. Because of the long project cycle, this promotion is not immediate in the short term and has an obvious hysteresis effect. The longer the implementation time, the greater the promotion of the local economy will develop. The results are robust after the robustness test that uses the single-difference method. The CDM A/R project has promoted local economic growth by optimizing the local industrial structure, increasing the regional capital stock and raising the regional government’s fiscal revenue and expenditure.Originality/valueThis paper provides a critical overview of the relationship between clean development mechanism and local economic development.

An Analysis of Carbon Market and Carbon Credits in India

Global climate change is becoming an alarming problem of the 21st century, with global warming as the biggest challenge. Anthropogenic activities have added significant quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the atmosphere ever since the Industrial Revolution. The agriculture sector is a significant source of GHG emission in many countries. Crop stubble burning or agricultural biomass burning is one of the highest contributors to this emission. In India, around 92 million tons of crop residue is burned every year, causing several negative impacts on the climate as well as on human health. Under the Kyoto Protocol, Carbon trading and Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are the two robust processes to mitigate the GHG emissions for any country. In this study, we have assessed the overview of world’s carbon market and analysed how much carbon credit India may have traded in the world carbon market, if emission from the crop residue burning was stopped in the Indian agricultural sector. Further we have fitted an econometric model to determine the effect of carbon trading on other stock market variable.

Take a Ride on the Green Side: How Do CDM Projects Affect Indian Manufacturing Firms’ Environmental Performance?

This study examines the causal impacts of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) on the environmental performance of Indian manufacturing firms, as measured by their energy use, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and respective intensities. The impacts of CDM projects are estimated by combining statistical matching with the difference-in-differences approach. We found that CDM projects significantly reduced firms' CO2 emission intensity and energy intensity, but had no effect on total CO2 emissions. These results reveal that CDM projects led to an emission-reducing technique effect (decreased CO2 intensity) and to a positive scale effect (increased sales), and that the latter effect muted the impacts of the former. One of the channels of the technique effect rests on participating firms increasingly generating their electricity on site and relying more on renewable energies. Our results suggest that CDM projects improved firms' environmental performance, even though firm-level absolute CO2 emissions did not decline.

Institutionalisation of weak conceptions of sustainability in the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism: empirical evidence from Malaysian organisations

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine how accounting for sustainable development (SD) in Malaysian organisations decouples economic growth from ecological consequences. The research analyses the empirical evidence of organisational responses and actions that purport to support SD in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses a discursive model of institutional theory to examine the relationship between texts, discourse and action within Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) organisations. This study uses both qualitative content and interpretive textual analysis of Malaysian organisations project design documents (PDDs) and interview transcripts to interpret and determine the “conceptions” of SD.FindingsDocumentation and interviews with Malaysian CDM organisations show that SD conceptions range from “business as usual” to weak ecological modernisation. The key narratives are both economic and technocratic but have little to do with SD concerns about ecological limitations and social equity.Originality/valueThe empirical evidence provides insights into the motivations and challenges of a developing country's commitment to SD. We perform the study in an accountability space other than corporate financial reporting. Unlike external corporate reports, PDDs are closer to the underlying organisational reality as they are internal project documents made publicly accessible through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, allowing for a more transparent evaluation. The evidence shows how the organisational approach to SD is institutionalised through the mediating role of discourse and texts used by the actors within the CDM.

Wind power projects in Brazil: challenges and opportunities increasing co-benefits and implications for climate and energy policies

The purpose of this article is to analyze the challenges to, and opportunities for, increasing sustainable development (SD) co-benefits delivered by clean development mechanism (CDM) wind power projects in northeastern Brazil and the resulting implications for climate and energy policies. Five methodological phases were met: First, a documentary research was conducted in the main CDM database; second was a literature review, creating the analytical framework and a survey questionnaire needed to assess the SD co-benefits from the projects; third, documentary research was used to enable ex-ante analysis of the SD co-benefits proposed in the CDM Project Design Documents (PDDs); fourth, survey allowed for the analysis of SD co-benefits perceived by project entrepreneurs (ex-post analysis); and finally, a comparison between the ex-ante and ex-post analyses was completed. The results show the importance of carrying out SD co-benefit studies after the implementation of CDM projects in order to learn lessons for new mechanisms of climate governance. The lowest SD co-benefits were water management improvement in the project influence area, soil pollution prevention, health and safety improvements and technology transfer. The greatest opportunities for increasing SD co-benefits come from the environmental licensing process and the strengthening of Corporate Social Responsibility. The greatest challenges are new technology development, stakeholders’ engagement and SD co-benefit audits. We conclude that the improvement of multi-level climate and energy governance plays a key role in increasing SD co-benefits.

The distribution and regional determinants of nationally financed emissions-reduction projects in China

As the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) has experienced a decline in investments, major host countries in this mechanism have met with a surplus capacity in the production of carbon offset credits. One of these countries is China, which has turned its focus to its own emission trading institutions, such as the ‘China Certified Emission Reduction’ (CCER) scheme, a domestic carbon offsetting mechanism. In this study, we analyse this mechanism by identifying the regional determinants of the emissions-reduction projects. We examine the distribution of 2789 projects of China Certified Emission Reduction scheme and use regional economic attributes to predict the number of projects in 30 Chinese Provinces. Results from a panel data analysis indicate that these projects are more likely to be implemented in locations where per capita GDP is lower, CO2 emissions is higher, energy intensity is higher, and the amount of domestic loan is larger. This voluntary carbon market in China continues to demonstrate economic sensitivity in project implementation as it moves towards a new governing system in the post-CDM context. These findings could provide insights into the prospects for market-driven emission reduction initiatives in China and facilitate their mitigation actions.

A/R CDMにおけるコミュニティの能力向上の必要性

A/R CDMにおけるコミュニティの能力向上の必要性

Techno-economic analysis of a small-scale power-to-green urea plant

Power-to-green urea is the concept of urea production using hydrogen from photovoltaic (PV)-electrolysis; a promising option for remote area that do not have natural gas reserves. In this study techno-economic analysis of a small-scaled power-to-green urea plant is conducted with the purpose of obtaining energy efficiency of the system, specific energy consumption, and urea price. Process simulation is carried out by using Aspen Plus and green urea price is calculated using cash flow with 4 schemes. Scheme 1 uses investment cost of technology in 2019, scheme 2 is modification of scheme 1 with additional revenue through clean development mechanisms (CDM), scheme 3 uses investment cost of technology in 2030 and 2050, and scheme 4 is a combination of scheme 2 and 3. The obtained result shows the system efficiency of 7.9% and specific energy consumption of 109 GJ/MT urea. The price of green urea with Scheme 1, 2, 3, and 4 in order are 2342, 2320, 2026 and 1704, as well as 2004 and 1682 USD/MT urea, respectively. Power-to-green urea could not compete economically with conventional large-scale urea; however, due to its stable price and easily acquired raw material it is still highly relevant for remote areas in the future.

Estimation of CO2 Emission Savings from a Metro Rail System Using Different Methodologies: A Case Study of Mumbai, India

Estimating ‘CO2 emission savings’ of a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) project shall give an opportunity to earn carbon credits under clean development mechanism (CDM) of Kyoto protocol for ‘Non-Annex I’ countries like India. In this study, two methodologies for estimating ‘CO2 emission savings’ were demonstrated with a case study of Mumbai ‘metro line 1’. One considers actual reduction in vehicular traffic and the other considers the commuter shift to metro from other modes estimating the savings as 38.02 t/day and 27.63 t/day, respectively. Subsequently, sensitivity analysis was conducted to identify the optimal scenario for ‘CO2 emission savings’ supported by both the methods. Further, a breakeven scenario for ‘annual net CO2 emission savings’ after considering the indirect emissions due to electricity consumption by the metro system was also analysed as 1,008 t/year by the end 2019. These savings are analysed to further reach 32,537 t/year by 2025.

Decarbonising gate operations through clean energy solutions

Civil aviation authorities, working with their airport, airline and aviation business partners, are developing plans to achieve carbon-neutral aviation growth from 2020. This paper discusses how, in order to meet this goal, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Member States have agreed to a basket of measures for reducing carbon dioxide emissions from international aviation. One effective measure identified is replacing aircraft auxiliary power unit emissions with gate electrification systems and solar power as described in the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism small-scale methodology: solar power for domestic aircraft at-gate operations. ICAO, with funding support from international partners, has recently completed three airport pilot projects — in Cameroon, Jamaica and Kenya — that demonstrate how States can implement the solar at-gate measure. Beyond the direct application to auxiliary power units and gate electrification, the solar at-gate concept offers a more general approach as to how other airport electrification conversion projects, including ground support equipment, airport ground transportation and passenger vehicle use, can maximise emission reduction benefits by eliminating fossil-fuel combustion and replacing it with carbon-free electricity. This paper discusses the solar at-gate example, which demonstrates the opportunities associated with maximising airport electrification and supplying the new electricity demand with clean energy for carbon emission reductions consistent with the global efforts to address climate change, and at the same time, accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through innovation for a greener future.

Carbon dioxide emissions and institutional factors in developing nations: An application of the GMM technique

Thirty-seven (37) industrialized countries are committed to cut greenhouse gases by 5.2% over a period since 2008-2012. However, understanding the needs of developing countries and their commitment towards social and economic development goals, UNFCCC has somehow adopted a principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities Economic activities are fundamentally linked to economic growth which is much needed in these nations, thus the parties allow them to grow to meet their ends. But this does not mean the countries should not be responsible for their action. These nations signatory to the Kyoto Protocol has also demanded them to put effort to cut carbon emissions. This study employed a dynamic panel data model that based on the Arellano and Bond Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) technique to investigate the impact of the Kyoto Protocol and four institutional factors political stability, property rights, corruption and freedom of trade on per capita CO2 emissions in 126-developing nations. Three determinants i.e. Kyoto Commitment, Kyoto Clean Development Mechanism and freedom of trade were found to have negative significant effect on CO2 emissions. Thus, the empirical findings confirm that the three institutional factors are relevant in cutting the CO2 emission.

Techno-economic and environmental assessment of methane oxidation layer measures through small-scale clean development mechanism – The case of the Seychelles

Unclosed coastal landfills in small island developing states are major sources of greenhouse gases and other environmental impacts. This is a major problem for sustainable waste management systems mainly due to the lack of economic resources. The clean development mechanism (CDM) appears as a possibility to facilitate sustainable financing. Implementing a methane oxidation layer (MOL) emerges as a feasible technical option for this kind of small landfills since landfill gas extraction is usually not viable. This paper presents a techno-economic and environmental assessment of MOL implementation in the Providence landfill (Seychelles) as a small-scale CDM measure. Results show that the MOL measure could avoid by 2030 between 94 and 20 kt CO2 eq. Concerning profitability, results clearly show that it depends on the existence of stabilized biomass material within the island. Thus, the MOL measure starts to be profitable in some scenarios for certified emission reductions (CER) prices higher than 26 €/t CO2 eq. that seem possible depending on the emissions’ market development. When not profitable under CDM, the MOL measure might be used to reduce CO2 emissions from the domestic climate effort under the Paris Agreement since the unitary abatement costs is between 10 and 423 €/t CO2 eq. Moreover, the MOL measure contributes to the sustainable development goals (SDG) achievement – mainly SDG8, SDG13, and SDG14. Finally, results call for a prompt action in Seychelles since the sooner the MOL is implemented after the landfill is closed, the more profitable.

AVALIAÇÃO DE ÁREAS ELEGÍVEIS À IMPLANTAÇÃO DE PROJETOS DE MDL FLORESTAIS NA BACIA DO RIO PARDO, EM MINAS GERAIS

No Protocolo de Quito, ratificado em 1997, foi proposto um instrumento de mitigação climática - o Mecanismo de Desenvolvimento Limpo (MDL) - em que países desenvolvidos podem cumprir suas metas de redução de emissões financiando projetos florestais em países em desenvolvimento. O ponto de partida consiste na avaliação do potencial de sequestro de CO2 de áreas elegíveis. Nesse sentido, o objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o potencial de sequestro CO2 e de geração de créditos de carbono na bacia do Rio Pardo, MG, a partir de projetos de MDL florestais. A metodologia consistiu no mapeamento das áreas elegíveis à implantação de projetos, via análise multitemporal de imagens orbitais, e na simulação de cenários de restauração florestal e reflorestamento com eucalipto. Para restauração florestal, o potencial de sequestro de CO2 foi de, aproximadamente, 10.215.818 Mg, em 20 anos, podendo gerar mais de US$102 milhões em créditos de carbono. Para reflorestamento, o potencial de sequestro de CO2 foi de, aproximadamente, 12.000.000 Mg, em seis anos, e geraria cerca de US$120.000.000. Um cenário misto foi considerado o ideal para a bacia e a metodologia adotada é viável para avaliação em caráter prospectivo, podendo ser consolidada com a utilização de parâmetros locais de biomassa. Palavras-chave: mudanças climáticas; florestas; sequestro de carbono; geoprocessamento. Evaluation of eligible areas for forest CDM projects implementation in the Pardo River basin, in Minas Gerais, Brazil ABSTRACT: An instrument for climate changes mitigation was proposed in Kyoto Protocol, ratified in 1997 – the Clean Development Mechanism – CDM – through which developed countries can meet their emission reduction goals by forestry projects financing in developing countries. For this, the starting point is to assess the CO2 sequestration potential of the eligible areas. In this sense, the objective of the present work was to evaluate the CO2 sequestration potential and carbon credits generation through forestry CDM projects in the Pardo river basin, Minas Gerais state. The methodology consisted of mapping the eligible and suitable areas for projects implementation, through orbital images multitemporal analysis, and the simulation of forest restoration and reforestation scenarios with eucalyptus species. For forest restoration projects, the CO2 sequestration potential is about 10,215,818 Mg, in 20 years, which could generate more than US $ 102,000,000 in carbon credits. For reforestation, the CO2 sequestration potential is about 12,000,000 Mg in six years, and would generate about US $ 120,000,000. A mixed scenario, with projects in both modalities, was considered ideal for the basin and the proposed methodology is feasible for prospective evaluation, and can be consolidated using local biomass parameters. Keywords: climatic change; forests; carbon sequestration; geoprocessing.

What matters in the distributions of clean development mechanism projects? A panel data approach

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) suggests that both developed and developing countries can take actions to mitigate global climate change. Carbon reduction and sustainable development are the goals of the CDM. However, the uneven distribution of the CDM projects in developing countries may jeopardize the fulfilment of these goals. This paper uses panel data from 107 host countries to explore the influencing factors of the CDM using a negative binomial regression. The club convergence model is used to divide the host countries into different sub-groups according to their numbers of operating CDM projects in a year. The results show that affluence, the sophisticated international trading experience, and the growing demands for energy of the host countries have a positive impact on the successful registrations of the CDM projects, while the cost of carbon emission abatement hinders the registration. But for countries with fewer CDM projects, the industrial level and national carbon emission have no significant impacts on the distribution of CDM projects. In the end, target policy implications were made based on the results.

Characteristics of municipal fresh solid wastes from the selected large urban centres in Uganda: Implication for re-use and soil amendment strategies

ABSTRACT In Uganda, the municipal solid wastes are generally a menace to the environment, ranging from indiscriminate dumping, open burning, and landfills, which would be utilized to augment agricultural fields through organic manure. The National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) of Uganda, however from 2009 to 2012 initiated and implemented a Clean Development Mechanism project. This project was established and conducted in nine urban centers with the key objective of reducing methane and other environmental nuisances while generating compost manure. The in-coming fresh municipal wastes at composting facilities were sorted into six categories; i) wood and wood products, ii) food and food wastes, iii) textiles, iv) garden, yard and park wastes, v) paper and pulp, and vi) glass, plastics, and metals. These were laboratory analyzed based on standard procedures, characterized and investigated for the pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) (g kg−1). Statistical analyses were performed based on One-Way ANOVA, implemented in the SPSS program. The results indicate that the municipal fresh solid wastes were mainly dominated by biodegradable organic matter; garden, yard, and park wastes (49%), food and food wastes (43.2%), and the other wastes falling below 5.4%. Overall, the pH was 7.7 ± 0.02, TOC 318.2 ± 2.90, TN 12.1 ± 0.10, C/N 26.7 ± 0.20, P 4.4 ± 0.04, K 35.0 ± 0.49, Ca 38.9 ± 0.51, and Mg 5.8 ± 0.09. The concentration of the fresh wastes and macro-nutrients varied per municipality and were congruent with the economic activities and population lifestyles. We detected the effect of season/month on the concentration of wastes which corresponded with the various agronomical activities. The results from this study suggest that the notion of composting is potentially a viable organic waste management strategy in the country which can ultimately generate sufficient organic manure for agricultural input and thus enhanced carbon sequestration. Implications: In this study, we characterized the in-coming fresh municipal solid wastes and investigated the pH, total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) (g kg−1). We found that the municipal fresh solid wastes were mainly dominated by biodegradable organic matter (>90%). The results from this study suggest the notion of composting to be potentially a viable organic waste management strategy in Uganda which can ultimately generate sufficient organic manure for agricultural input. This is typically vital for enhancing carbon sequestration towards minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.