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CDM and Gold Standard
All atmosfair climate protecting projects are CDM-projects which additionally meet the Gold Standard. Current status of the projects can be found on the project pages.
The CDM criteria were agreed on at the international climate conference in Kyoto. CDM stands for "clean development mechanism" and enables industrialized and developing countries to jointly implement climate protection projects in developing countries. A very important factor is the validation, when an independent verifier controls the additionality and the amount of saving. The verifier is liable for his report. Besides the saving of emissions developing countries can benefit from the technology transfer into their countries.
The following issues are important for the planning and validation of CDM climate protection projects:
- Quantification of the saved emission: The implemented projects definitely safe green gashouse emissions compared to the former use. The calculation undergoes detailed regulations and procedures (so called baseline).
- Additionality: A project is “additional” when it couldn’t have been realised without the financial support of atmosfair. It is a fundamental premise for mitigation of global warming.
The reduction of emissions can be achieved in different ways:
Working within the Gold Standard allows the use of renewable energy or energy efficiency measures only whereas the general CDM also permits the transformation of dangerous to less dangerous greenhouse gases or the bond of CO2 through deforestation. A CDM project runs one-time 10 years or 3*7= 21 years. The latter requires a new detailed verification every seven years.
After an independent verifier has controlled the detailed documentation of the project, the approval of the national authority is handed over and the hearing of the local population has taken place, the UNFCCC (the climate protection ministry of the UNO) decides about the registration of the project. In case of a positive decision the construction and operation can start. At this stage independent verifiers control at regular intervals, how much emissions have been saved de facto (verification). For the actual savings the UNO hands over certificates (CERs). atmosfair retires this certificates in the official registry of the German Federal Environmental Agency. atmosfair does not support inofficial climate protecting projects which produce "VERs".
The Gold Standard was developed by several environmental organisations under the special guidance of the WWF to make sure that CDM projects really contribute to a sustainable development. The following requirements must be complied:
- GS-Projects either work exclusively with renewable energies or ensure a more efficient use of energy sources already in use, for example through heat insulation.
- Examination of the project with help of a "sustainability matrix" (local employment, improved local environment, transfer of “clean” technology ...)
- Participation of local population and organisations.
- Proof of additionality: a standardised “additionality tool“ that includes economic indicators has to be applied.