The average Nike shoe emits about 40 pounds of CO2 (http://www.greenbiz.com)
A few years ago, the latest green(wash) rage among the rich and famous was offsetting carbon emissions from air travel and energy use. Lately, this trend may be slowly reversing itself.
Companies are beginning to see the problems inherent in offsets and are instead turning to improving energy efficiency. The latest companies to abandon the over-hyped offset are Yahoo! and Nike.
Investigative reporter Mark Schapiro's most recent article, "Conning the Climate" provides an inside look into how Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects are validated and verified, as well as the many problems that arise.
Tolstoy believed that it was the existence of the rich that was the real cause of Russian poverty.
I just attended an excellent report-back from the Copenhagen climate
talks fiasco. The speakers included Payal Parekh, climate director from
my own organization, International Rivers, and representatives from other great Bay Area enviro organizations, 350.org, Rainforest Action Network and EcoEquity.
(Florencio Quintero)Yet again a project by AES, one of the world's largest power companies, didn't manage to make it past the validation stage in the CDM approval process. International Rivers is very pleased, as this project, the Changuinola Dam in Panama, is particularly damaging. The project is located in the buffer zone for the La Amistad UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and has resulted in the forcible displacement of 1,000 Ngobe people. If this project would have been registered, it would have legitimized a project rife with social and environmental abuses. The fact that this project is being built without receiving any income from the CDM shows that it is clearly not additional (see the extensive comments submitted to the CDM from International Rivers and others).
The number of projects that entered the CDM pipeline fell 42% from the third quarter (See Fig. 1).
The percent of hydropower projects entering the CDM pipeline relative
to all CDM projects continues to be on a downward trend since 2007 (see
Fig. 2).
According to a new Point Carbon survey
(sub req'd), one third of registered CDM projects never go on to
receive CERs, or certified emissions reductions credits. Most notable
are landfill gas and other waste projects. Arne Eik, analyst at Point
Carbon, attribute the lack of issuance to:
"problems with project finance prompted by the economic downturn,
uncertainty about post-2012, and the difficulties some projects had in
demonstrating they can cut emissions."
The percent of projects rejected out of the total number of projects requesting registration was 7.4% in 2007, 3.8% in 2008, and 1.4% in 2009 (this does not include withdrawn projects).
48% of all hydro projects in the CDM pipeline have requested registration since 2004, while 40% of all hydro projects have actually been registered. Figs. 3 and 4 show the fate of projects requesting registration and being registered by year. This graph shows the dramatic increase over the last year of projects that the Executive Board has requested be reviewed.
Hydro projects continue to be the most prevalent type of project in the CDM pipeline (27% fo all projects). 70% of hydro projects are located in China. Figs. 5 and 6 are based on the UNFCCC CDM pipeline database, last updated on December 20, 2009.
The disappointing conclusion of the climate negotiations in Copenhagen reinforced how little rich countries, which have caused climate change, are willing to do to ameliorate its impacts and limit warming. Essentially the United States cut a deal with a handful of nations and then shoved this deal down the rest of the world's throat. Even during President Obama's press conference, he admitted that it wasn't legally binding and that it wasn't enough to limit warming to under 2 degrees Celsius (we should note that over 100 countries are calling to limit warming to under 1.5 degrees).
(Daniel Bachhuber)On the final day of the COP15 climate negotiations at Copenhagen, leaders have reportedly reached a final deal, though one that insufficiently deals with emissions reduction targets, timelines, accountability, compliance, and the question of who's responsible for adaptation and mitigation action and funding.
Water justice - the belief that every human being deserves the right to
access clean water to meet their basic needs - is another issue that
has largely been glossed over by delegates these past two weeks.
Here in Copenhagen, a lot of the discussion has been around the lack of ambition coming from developed countries. There has been little discussion of long-term finance to meet the mitigation and adaptation needs of developing countries. With regards to the emission reduction targets, they are adding up to a mere 11-17% below 1990 levels, despite the fact that the most recent science is calling for emission reductions of at least 40% below 1990 by developed countries. A leaked draft of a document prepared by the UNFCCC secretariat found that the current pledges commits the world to a 3 degree warming. It also found that developing countries will actually reduce emissions more than developed countries!
International Rivers' Payal Parekh gives an update on the current status of the climate negotiations at Copenhagen's COP15. Developed countries continue to avoid taking strong targets, raising
tensions between rich and poor countries on the third-to-last day of the negotiations. News on offsets and the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are mixed and constantly changing.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger of California addressing the 194-nation U.N. climate talks (United Nations)
As the clock winds down, and countries are nowhere near an agreement, subnational leaders from Canada, Nigeria, France and Algeria, led by California's "Gubernator," announced today in a press conference at Bella that they plan to advance the concept of a new regional coalition to fast track the results of the Copenhagen negotiations.
