Summary of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting

The briefing analyzes the outcomes of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting, highlighting a perceived failure to strengthen additionality and environmental integrity. Key criticisms include the Board's rejection of fixed crediting periods, its refusal to address perverse incentives in nitric acid plant projects, and the approval of a voluntary rather than mandatory sustainable development tool. Conversely, the document notes positive steps toward improving global and local stakeholder consultation processes.

• The CDM Executive Board took actions that weakened additionality requirements by removing fixed crediting periods and refusing to consider CER revenues in additionality assessments. This occurs despite research suggesting up to 3.6 billion CERs could originate from non-additional projects by 2020.
• The Board failed to address a known issue where existing methodologies for N2O destruction in nitric acid plants (AM0028 and AM0034) create a perverse incentive for developers to maximize N2O production to earn more credits, rather than minimizing its formation.
• A new voluntary tool for reporting sustainable development co-benefits was approved, but it is criticized for lacking mandatory monitoring and verification requirements, which would be necessary to ensure benefits are measured and audited.
• The Board adopted measures to improve stakeholder consultation, including expanding the types of published documents, refining the groups invited for local consultations, and exploring a formal process for addressing concerns raised after project registration.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2012). Summary of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/summary-of-the-70th-cdm-executive-board-meeting/

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Summary of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting. 2012. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/summary-of-the-70th-cdm-executive-board-meeting/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Summary of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting |date=28 December 2012 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/summary-of-the-70th-cdm-executive-board-meeting/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2012summary, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Summary of the 70th CDM Executive Board meeting}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2012}, month = dec, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/summary-of-the-70th-cdm-executive-board-meeting/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }