The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the flexible mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol. The CDM offers developed countries (Annex I countries) the possibility to engage in economically and environmentally competitive emission reduction projects in developing countries (non-Annex 1 countries). Certified emission reductions (CERs) will be issued by CDM Executive Board after completion of the CDM process.
Projects that will be implemented through the CDM have to fulfill additional criteria that will be defined by a national framework of the host countries.
The official United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) CDM website is http://cdm.unfccc.int
Frequently Asked Questions on CDM can be accessed at : http://cdm.unfccc.int/faq/index.html
What is a Voluntary Carbon Market project?
A voluntary carbon market project is similar to a CDM project but it is not regulated by the UNFCCC. There are a variety of different standards that can be applied, dependent on the project type and size. The project developer can select the most relevant standard. Some standards are:
Carbon Fix - www.carbonfix.info
Gold Standard - www.cdmgoldstandard.org
Plan Vivo - www.planvivo.org
Voluntary Carbon Standard - http://www.v-c-s.org
Voluntary carbon market projects generate Voluntary Emissions Reductions (VERs).
