Why coal projects in the CDM undermine climate goals

The document asserts that coal projects in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are non-additional, conflict with sustainability goals by harming local ecosystems, and lock in long-term CO2 emissions. It further claims that flawed CDM rules lead to significant over-crediting of these projects, which are often used merely as an additional revenue stream for planned investments.

• Coal projects in the CDM are considered 'non-additional' because they would have been constructed regardless of the mechanism, meaning the resulting carbon credits do not represent actual emission reductions.
• The inclusion of coal projects contradicts the CDM's sustainability goals by causing toxic damage to ecosystems and local populations, and hinders climate goals by locking in billions of tons of CO2 emissions over several decades instead of promoting renewable energy.
• Current CDM rules are flawed, resulting in significant over-crediting for coal projects, which developers use as a way to add a new revenue stream to existing investment plans.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2011). Why coal projects in the CDM undermine climate goals. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/policy-brief-why-coal-projects-in-the-cdm-undermine-climate-goals/

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Why coal projects in the CDM undermine climate goals. 2011. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/policy-brief-why-coal-projects-in-the-cdm-undermine-climate-goals/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Why coal projects in the CDM undermine climate goals |date=10 September 2011 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/policy-brief-why-coal-projects-in-the-cdm-undermine-climate-goals/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2011why, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Why coal projects in the CDM undermine climate goals}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2011}, month = sep, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/publications/policy-brief-why-coal-projects-in-the-cdm-undermine-climate-goals/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }