CDM Benefits

Background

The clean development mechanism was designed to meet a dual objective:

  • to help developed countries fulfill their commitments to reduce emissions, and
  • to assist developing countries in achieving sustainable development.

CDM projects earn tradable, saleable certified emission reduction (CER) credits that can be used by industrialised countries to meet a part of their emission reduction targets under the Kyoto Protocol.

Benefits of CDM projects include investment in climate change mitigation projects in developing countries, transfer or diffusion of technology in the host countries, as well as improvement in the livelihood of communities through the creation of employment or increased economic activity. This page serves to highlight where and how this occurs across the globe.

Benefits of the CDM up to 2011 Benefits of the CDM up to 2011

A first in a series of assessment reports on the overall contribution of the CDM to society. The report highlights the contributions of registered CDM project activities to sustainable development and technology transfer, and also provides a first estimate of overall capital investment and abatement costs of various types of CDM projects.

Showcase of CDM projects with developmental benefits Showcase of CDM development benefits

The CDM offers opportunities for sustainable development but also brings important co-benefits, such as poverty reduction, access to energy efficient lighting and cooking, improvement of air quality and living conditions, reduction of costs and generation of jobs and skills. The UNFCCC secretariat is gathering information on CDM projects to highlight their contribution to improving people's lives. Some projects have been identified as making a unique contribution in this regard.

Reports on contributions of the CDM to development benefits Reports on contributions of the CDM to technology transfer

Since 2007, the UNFCCC secretariat has been assessing one of the more measurable co-benefits of the CDM – its contribution to the transfer of technology and knowledge between countries. In doing so it focuses on projects in all host countries and at all stages of development and implementation.

The full studies are available for download.