Bonn, 18 November 2004 – On the day when
the crucial ratification for the entry into
force of the Kyoto Protocol on 16 February 2005 has arrived, the first project
of the Clean Development Mechanism
(CDM) has been registered. The project will reduce emissions of methane
from a landfill in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The registration of this project starts a new
phase of the implementation of the CDM.
This central feature for global collaboration on
climate change in the Kyoto Protocol has now
come alive. The CDM is an innovative mechanism
that mobilizes private and public resources for
mitigating climate change and, at the same time,
promoting sustainable develpment.
The project is located in the state of Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil. It aims to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions from a landfill site by capturing
methane to use it for generating electricity and will
have direct health and environmental benefits
for the local community of Nova Igacú. It is
expected to reduce about 31,000 tonnes of
methane per year which, in terms of global warming
potential, is equivalent to a reduction of
670,000 tonnes of CO2. This project holds a large
potential as a model for similar projects in
other parts of Brazil and the whole world.
Background
The CDM was established under the 1997 Kyoto
Protocol as a way of promoting
sustainable development while minimizing the
costs of limiting greenhouse gas emissions: In
return for investing in a CDM sustainable
development project, companies will earn "certified
emission reductions" that developed
countries may use to meet their Kyoto commitments. It is
supervised by an Executive Board which is
responsible to the Conference of the Parties to the
UNFCCC.
In order to qualify, a CDM project must deliver
multiple benefits: credits for reducing GHG
emissions to the investors and sustainable
development to the developing country which hosts
the project and contributes to stabilizing GHG
concentrations in the atmosphere below dangerous
levels. A successful CDM energy project can, for
example, earn certified emission reductions
(CERs) during a minimum of seven and a maximum
of 21 years. By using CERs, industrialized
countries and companies can comply with their
Kyoto and/or national targets at costs below
those commonly encountered for domestic
projects. By being mutually beneficial, the CDM can
break new ground in North-South collaboration
for the global commons.
The project involves S.A. Paulista,
EcoSecurities and the World Bank Netherlands Clean
Development Facility (WB NCDF). It was validated
by "DNV Certification UK", one of the
companies accredited by the CDM Executive Board.
Information on the pipeline of projects pursuing
registration under the CDM can be found
on the UNFCCC CDM web site.
For more information about the CDM, please
consult or e-mail
cdm-info@unfccc.int
