Highlights CDM Executive Board, 50th meeting

Bangkok, 16 October 2009 – The CDM Executive Board has agreed on a long list of recommendations and measures – including possible appeals for project participants – designed to enhance efficiency, quality and good governance of the mechanism. The Board has recommended that when Parties to the Kyoto Protocol meet in Copenhagen in December that they establish a process for stakeholders to appeal decisions of the Board. As well, the Board will consider at its 51st meeting, also in December, whether to establish a process whereby project participants can appeal the findings of designated operational entities (DOEs), the third-party certifiers that validate projects and verify emission reductions. The measures and recommendations are the outcome of two recent policy retreats held by the Board. Other measures agreed on, and which can go ahead without a decision by Parties, include a training process, which the Board would help establish, for staff of DOEs; defining a “positive list” of project types to help fast-track small-scale renewable energy and energy efficiency projects; a review of guidance issued by the Board to date; establishing a rolling two-year “prospective” plan to look beyond the current annual management plan; and prioritizing better the work on emissions baseline and monitoring methodologies, with a view to increasing usability and applicability. Other recommendations, to go to the Parties for a decision, include allowing the Board to apply different timelines for registration and issuance and develop alternative procedures for how this work is done. As well, to help encourage enhanced regional distribution of CDM projects, the Board recommends the establishment of a “CDM projects development fund” and the dropping of fees for projects hosted in small island developing states, among other steps. Under another governance matter covered in what was a packed agenda, the Board requested the secretariat to publish information notes containing background and explanation relating to requests for registration and issuance turned down by the Board and to commence a work programme to provide notes on other such rulings. The Board also agreed on recommendations contained in three proposals from its Accreditation Panel intended to facilitate more applicants of entities from developing countries, enhance the impartiality and independence of DOEs and address the impact of suspension of a DOE on project activities. In another accreditation matter, an application for re-accreditation of the entity “Japan Consulting Institute” was not accepted, but the Board agreed to allow the entity to complete work on certain project activities at the registration stage. For a full report of the meeting see <https://cdm.unfccc.int/EB/index.html>. For further information contact David Abbass <dabbass@unfccc.int>, CDM Public Information Officer, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change secretariat, Bonn, Germany. ----------------------------- Annexes to the report: ----------------------------- Membership matters Annex 1 - Documents related to conflict of interest Methodologies Annex 2 - ACM0016 - "Baseline Methodology for Mass Rapid Transit Projects" (version 01) Annex 3 - ACM0017 - “Production of biodiesel for use as fuel" (version 01) Annex 4 - AM0023 - “Leak reduction from natural gas pipeline compressor or gate stations” (version 03) Annex 5 - AM0031 - “Baseline Methodology for Bus Rapid Transit Projects” (version 03) Annex 6 - AM0034 - “Catalytic reduction of N2O inside the ammonia burner of nitric acid plants” (version 03.4) Annex 7 - AM0070 - “Manufacturing of energy efficient domestic refrigerators” (version 02) Annex 8 - AM0072 - “Fossil Fuel Displacement by Geothermal Resources for Space Heating” (version 02) Annex 9 - ACM0003 - “Emissions reduction through partial substitution of fossil fuels with alternative fuels or less carbon intensive fuels in cement manufacture” (version 07.3) Annex 10 - ACM0005 - “Consolidated Baseline Methodology for Increasing the Blend in Cement Production” (version 05) Annex 11 - Possible implications of the inclusion of CCS as CDM project activities Annex 12 - Guidlines on apportioning emissions from production processes between main product and co- and by-products (version 01) Annex 13 - Guidelines for objective demonstration and assessment of barriers (version 01) Annex 14 - “Tool to calculate the emission factor for an electricity system” (version 02) Annex 15 - “Tool to determine the remaining lifetime of equipment” (version 01) Afforestation and Reforestation Annex 16 - AR-AM0002 “Restoration of degraded lands through afforestation/reforestation” (version 03) Annex 17 - AR-AM0004 “Reforestation or afforestation of land currently under agricultural use” (version 04) Annex 18 - AR-AM0005 “Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented for industrial and/or commercial uses” (version 04) Annex 19 - AR-AM0006 “Afforestation/Reforestation with Trees Supported by Shrubs on Degraded Land” (version 03) Annex 20 - AR-AM0010 “Afforestation and reforestation project activities implemented on unmanaged grassland in reserve/protected areas” (version 04) Annex 21 - Guidelines on conditions under which GHG emissions from removal of existing vegetation due to site preparation are insignificant (version 01) Annex 22 - A/R methodological tool “Estimation of GHG emissions due to clearing, burning and decay of existing vegetation attributable to a CDM A/R project activity” (version 03) Annex 23 - Guidelines on conservative choice and application of default data in estimation of the net anthropogenic GHG removals by sinks (version 02) Annex 24 - Recommendation on the implications of the possible inclusion of reforestation of lands with forests in exhaustion as afforestation and reforestation clean development mechanism project activities, taking into account technical, methodological and legal issues Small-scale methodologies Annex 25 - AMS-III-AF Avoidance of methane emissions through excavating and composting of partially decayed municipal solid wastes ( MSW) (version 01) Annex 26 - AMS-III.AG Switching from high carbon intensive grid electricity to low carbon intensive fossil fuels (version 01) Annex 27 - AMS-III.AH Shift from high carbon intensive fuel mix ratio to low carbon intensive fuel mix ratio (version 01) Annex 28 - AMS-III.Y Methane avoidance through separation of solids from wastewater or manure treatment systems (version 02) Annex 29 - AMS-I.D Grid connected renewable electricity generation (version 15) Annex 30 - General guidelines for sampling and surveys for SSC project activities (version 01)  Registration Annex 31 -Scope of review (registration) 1792 Annex 32 -Scope of review (registration) 1924 Annex 33 -Scope of review (registration) 2123 Annex 34 -Scope of review (registration) 2227 Annex 35 -Scope of review (registration) 2375 Annex 36 -Scope of review (registration) 2446 Annex 37 -Scope of review (registration) 2548 Annex 38 -Scope of review (registration) 2565 Annex 39 -Scope of review (registration) 2567 Annex 40 -Scope of review (registration) 2573 Annex 41 -Scope of review (registration) 2597 Annex 42 -Scope of review (registration) 2610 Annex 43 -Scope of review (registration) 2647 Annex 44 -Scope of review (registration) 2668 Annex 45 -Scope of review (registration) 2671 Annex 46 -Scope of review (registration) 2678 Annex 47 -Scope of review (registration) 2698 Annex 48 - Revision to "Procedures for processing and reporting on validation of CDM project activities" Issuance Annex 49 - Scope of review (issuance) - Project 0089 Annex 50 - Scope of review (issuance) - Project 0453 Annex 51 - Scope of review (issuance) - Project 0943 Management plan and resources for the work on the CDM Annex 52 - Status of resources Other matters Annex 53 - Recommendation and measures on strategic improvements to efficiency in the operation of the CDM Annex 54 - Recommendation on regional distribution Annex 55 - Tentative calendar of meetings for 2010 Annex 56 - Provisional agenda for EB 51 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- About the Kyoto Protocol’s clean development mechanism --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The CDM allows emission-reduction projects in developing countries to earn certified emission reduction (CER) credits, each equivalent to one tonne of CO2. CERs can be traded and sold, and used by industrialized countries to meet a part of their targets under the Protocol. The CDM assists countries in achieving sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission targets. ------------------------------------------------------------ CDM Website Survey ------------------------------------------------------------ The aim of our survey is to improve the content and functionality of the CDM website. The survey will take you a few minutes to complete. Direct link to the survey >>> http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=_2bac7napTOrKzf9UiGnxwDQ_3d_3d Thank you for helping us to improve the website. ------------------------------------------------------------ If you wish to change or remove your e-mail address from the CDM newsletter, you need to access your CDM account through our website. https://cdm.unfccc.int/myaccount.html