Open Letter: CDM Coal Power Projects Undermine Efforts of UNFCCC Process

The letter argues that CDM coal power projects are non-additional, generate artificial carbon credits, and lock in billions of tons of CO2 while causing health and ecosystem damage. It references a CDM Executive Board suspension and an independent SEI study to support the claim that revised methodologies cannot ensure real and measurable emission reductions, calling for a formal CMP decision at COP-17 to exclude these projects.

• Coal power projects within the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) are described as non-additional, resulting in the creation of millions of artificial carbon credits that increase global emissions and undermine the UNFCCC process.
• These projects consume scarce climate finance while causing severe damage to ecosystems and human health and locking in billions of tons of CO2.
• The UN's CDM Executive Board suspended crediting rules for coal power projects following an investigation into flawed rules that could lead to the over-issuance of credits not reflecting real emission reductions.
• An independent study concluded that the flaws in the methodology for coal power projects are inherent, making it unlikely that any revised methodology could ensure offset credits are measurable and real.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2011). Open Letter: CDM Coal Power Projects Undermine Efforts of UNFCCC Process. http://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Open_Letter_to_Maite-Nkoanano_CDM_coal_power.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Open Letter: CDM Coal Power Projects Undermine Efforts of UNFCCC Process. 2011. http://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Open_Letter_to_Maite-Nkoanano_CDM_coal_power.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Open Letter: CDM Coal Power Projects Undermine Efforts of UNFCCC Process |date=6 December 2011 |url=http://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Open_Letter_to_Maite-Nkoanano_CDM_coal_power.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{carbonmarketwatch2011open, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Open Letter: CDM Coal Power Projects Undermine Efforts of UNFCCC Process}}, publisher = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2011}, month = dec, url = {http://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Open_Letter_to_Maite-Nkoanano_CDM_coal_power.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }