Global Carbon Mechanisms Annex I: Analysis of CDM project performance

The document examines the 'CER yield' of CDM projects, finding significant underperformance and variation based on project type, size, and developer. It identifies mis-calculation and implementation delays as the primary drivers of failure, while noting that bilateral projects generally outperform unilateral ones.

• There is a significant gap between projected and actual emission reductions, with the Climate Strategies sample showing an average CER yield of 76%. New Carbon Finance found that 70% of projects issuing CERs were underperforming, and 42% had yields below 80%.
• Project rejection rates increased over time, rising from less than 2% for projects submitted in 2004/2005 to over 10% for those submitted in 2007. Requests for review also rose from 8% in 2004/2005 to over 40% in 2007.
• Energy efficiency projects, specifically cement blending, faced high rejection rates due to failure to pass the 'additionality' test. Of 22 cement blending projects submitted, 8 were rejected.
• Bilateral projects generally achieve higher CER yields (approximately 77%) than unilateral projects (approximately 67%), with those involving European participants performing best at 121%.
• Mis-calculation and delays in project implementation are the most influential factors in delivery failure, accounting for at least 75% of failures in hydro, wind, landfill, and industrial gas projects.
• Landfill gas projects showed particularly poor performance, with 90% of issuing projects underperforming, often with yields below 50%, due to the poor application of emission saving models to local site conditions.
• Chinese wind projects performed relatively poorly compared to those in India, partly because the use of domestically-produced turbines led to more technical faults and delays in reaching full load capacity.

APA

Climate Strategies (n.d.). Global Carbon Mechanisms Annex I: Analysis of CDM project performance. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/gcm-technical-annex-i-cdm-project-performance.pdf

Chicago

Climate Strategies. Global Carbon Mechanisms Annex I: Analysis of CDM project performance. n.d. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/gcm-technical-annex-i-cdm-project-performance.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Strategies |title=Global Carbon Mechanisms Annex I: Analysis of CDM project performance |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/gcm-technical-annex-i-cdm-project-performance.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatestrategiesndglobal, author = {{Climate Strategies}}, title = {{Global Carbon Mechanisms Annex I: Analysis of CDM project performance}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/gcm-technical-annex-i-cdm-project-performance.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }