Posted
on 28 May 2009 - The evaluation of climate
offset projects under the Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM) is inefficient and often
of poor quality, a new WWF rating of project
evaluators which certify offset projects
under the Kyoto Protocol’s mechanism reveals.
Berlin - The evaluation
of climate offset projects under the Clean
Development Mechanism (CDM) is inefficient
and offten of poor quality, a new WWF rating
of project evaluators which certify offset
projects under the Kyoto Protocol's mechanism
reveals.
The new report commissioned
by WWF and produced by Öko-Institut,
analyses whether the Designed Operational
Entities (DOEs) validate, verify and certify
climate projects in developing countries
according to the expectations of the CDM
Executive Board, the UN body that supervises
and coordinates the CDM-process. The rating
includes 900 projects of the DOEs.
In the rating none of
the DOEs scored well. On a scale from A
(best) to F (worst), TÜV-Nord and TÜV-Süd
are leading the rating with a D, followed
by SGS with an E rating. BV Cert and DNV
get F scores and are at the bottom of the
table.
The global conservation
group calls for a reform of the CDM and
an improved performance of the evaluators,
in order to prevent investment in dubious
offset projects and ensure real CO2 emission
reductions.
“The project evaluators
submit too many CDM project applications
which are rejected, reviewed or requested
for correction by the CDM Executive Board”,
says Sanjeev Kumar, Emission Trading Expert
at WWF.
“The failings of the
DOEs to get projects registered by the CDM
Executive Board and the overall issue of
poor project quality that has blighted the
CDM are clearly connected.”
“EU Member States must
now reassess the environmental quality of
any credits coming into the EU Emissions
Trading Scheme”, added Kumar.
“Any subprime credits,
such as credits coming from the suspended
DNV, need to be excluded from the system.”
CDM projects allow industrialised
countries to meet their emission reduction
targets in a more cost-effective way, by
investing in emission reduction efforts
in the developing world, thus promoting
sustainable energy projects in the host
countries.
Previous WWF research
has shown, however, that these projects
can be of dubious quality and may even increase
emissions instead of reducing them. The
performance of the DOEs, as assessed in
the new WWF analysis, is crucial to protect
the CDM from counterproductive projects.
“If we really want to
decrease the dangerous CO2 emissions globally,
the industrialized countries need to stop
investing in dubious offset projects”, says
Kumar.
“We need binding and
ambitious CO2 reductions in the developed
world and high-quality CDM offset projects
in developing countries. The next round
of UN climate talks has to effectively address
the flaws in the current CDM and the weak
performance of DOEs.”
The rating of DOEs aims
to inform the market how well they are fulfilling
the requirements of the CDM Executive Board.
The percentage of projects registered, rejected,
reviewed or for which corrections are requested
is used to assess their performance. All
DOEs rank low and there is no champion,
as the share of projects automatically registered
is below 50 percent in each case.
+ More
Soy industry adopts
environmental safeguards
Posted on 28 May 2009
- Elements of the soy industry have agreed
to take a milestone step toward improving
their production practices, which have led
to widespread deforestation, displacement
of small-farmers and indigenous peoples,
and loss of natural habitats.
Campinas, Brazil: Elements
of the soy industry have agreed to take
a milestone step toward improving their
production practices, which have led to
widespread deforestation, displacement of
small-farmers and indigenous peoples, and
loss of natural habitats.
On Thursday, participants
in the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS)
unanimously agreed to implement a pilot
program of voluntary production standards
aimed at reducing the negative impacts of
soy production on the environment and people,
particularly in South America.
Most importantly, the
interim standards require producers to take
certain measures to protect the environment.
Those include prohibitions on the conversion
of areas with high conservation value –
such as forests and savannahs –reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, and eliminating
the most hazardous pesticides in soy farming.
“We welcome this decision
by RTRS members, but now the hard work begins
to test and improve these standards over
the next 12 months,” said Cassio Moreira,
Coordinator of WWF Brazil’s Agriculture
and Environment Program, who also serves
on the RTRS board. “Everybody in the soy
supply chain needs to jump into this process
and make it work, especially the buyers
who must show their commitment to support
the implementation of these standards.”
The agreement is the
result of years of dialogue between WWF,
other NGOs, farmers, and the soy industry
and was finalized at the group’s fourth
annual meeting this week in Brazil. The
RTRS currently counts more than 100 members,
including major private interests in the
soy industry, smallholder farmers, feed
mill operators, traders, retailers, financial
institutions, and social and environmental
organizations.
The program is based
on a set of standards – known as Principals
and Criteria— to improve soy production.
They will be tested among several growers
and then revised before the next RTRS meeting
in 2010. Members will then take a final
vote on long-term standards.
The Principles and Criteria
also require producers to:
Comply with the law
and adopt good business practices. Maintain
good working conditions, such as paying
workers the prevailing wage. Dialogue with
surrounding communities, such as equitably
resolving land disputes. Engage in good
agricultural practices, such as reducing
soil erosion, water use and pollution, and
the safe handling and minimizing the use
of agrochemicals. The RTRS now needs to
maintain momentum by developing a certification
system to verify compliance with the standards
and establish methods to trace the soy.
Expanding soy production
has been linked to the dramatic loss of
natural habitats, especially forests and
savannahs, in South America. Soy fields
have already replaced much of Brazil's savannahs
- the Cerrado – and are threatening the
Amazon by pushing cattle ranching into that
area. The expansion of soy production also
threatens the livelihoods of local communities.
Agriculture contributed to the disappearance
of most of the Atlantic Forest in southern
Brazil and eastern Paraguay in the 1970s
and 1980s – a scenario that could be repeated
in other regions as the global demand for
soy is expected to double by 2050.
Soybeans are used in
the production of edible oil, cosmetics,
foods, and feed for cattle, pigs, poultry
and fish. More recently, soy has been used
in the production of biofuels to meet increasing
energy needs.
+ More
International community
calls for action against illegal logging
in Madagascar
Posted on 05 June 2009
- The international community and major
conservation groups in Madagscar have issued
a joint statement calling for action against
dramatic increase in illegal logging on
the island which is putting at risk one
of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots.
Some protected areas
are being invaded by organized criminals
cutting down valuable rosewood trees and
extracting other resources. Most of the
wood is known to come from Marojejy National
Park and Masoala National Park.
The 13 signatories of
the statement include the embassies of France
and Germany, the World Bank and other international
organizations as well as the World Wide
Fund for Nature and Conservation International.
"We believe
the recent, dramatic escalation in illegal
logging is directly linked to the irresponsible
actions by mafia-like groups and governance
challenges linked with a fragile institutional
context that makes enforcement of existing
laws and regulations difficult," the
statement said.
"We are troubled
that Madagascar’s image, nationally and
internationally, as a country committed
to the protection of its unique biodiversity
and natural resources is being irreparably
damaged."
The organisations said
they were also afraid the damage could spread
around other Protected Areas and their peripheral
zone.
The increased illegal
logging calls into question Madagascar’s
genuine commitment to a transparent wood
control system that documents the legality
of harvesting and sales.
A significant amount
of precious resources - hardwood, unique
biodiversity and non-collected fees - are
irreversibly lost from this uncontrolled
timber harvesting. The Malagasy rural people
only marginally benefit from this illegal
trade of precious wood, as the international
value of the exported wood is over 600 times
the benefits to the collector.
According to the document,
the current situation also stands in the
way of the country's fight against poverty
or the livelihoods of Madagascar’s rural
population.
Illegal trade of timber
is growing in importance and concern at
the global level. The United States and
European Union are putting in place new
strict laws and regulations to stop the
importation of illegally harvested and traded
wood products.
But according to the
international community and the conservation
partners a "more proactive and aggressive"
response is needed to address this increased
harvesting of Madagascar’s unique natural
resources.
"It is essential
that the Malagasy authorities, with the
support of all stakeholders, improve support
to protected areas in order to preserve
the extraordinary biological riches of Madagascar."
The statement was signed
by:
• The French Embassy
• The German Embassy
• The Japanese Embassy
• The Norwegian Embassy
• The Swiss Embassy
• The USA Embassy
• KfW Entwicklungsbank
• United Nations Development Program (UNDP)
• US Agency for International Development
• World Bank
• Conservation International
• Wildlife Conservation Society
• Worldwide Fund for Nature
