Ensuring the good use of the Kyoto mechanisms: a key to progress in energy efficiency and sustainable development

Helene CONNOR and Rod JANSSEN, HELIO International

Keywords

Abstract

Conditions of additionality may suffice to make energy efficiency projects eligible under JI and the CDM when they are non-competitive under normal conditions. They may even be accepted if they are competitive when it can be proven that barriers are preventing their implementation. However, this might not be the case in economies in transition who have important amounts of hot air to sell, or if sequestration projects (sinks) are accepted in the Kyoto Mechanisms (KM).

When projects are designed, it will therefore be important to be able to avail ourselves of a set of significant indicators to be able to measure their potential contribution to better carbon-free energy policies and to genuine long-term sustainable development.

HELIO International has developed indicators for the CDM, which were discussed at one of the side-events at COP 5. Now those indicators are currently being tested in projects in South Africa, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Brazil. A similar set of indicators will be used in a major EU research project on the selection of JI projects between West European and East European utilities.

This paper provides the criteria which meet the conditions under which Kyoto projects based on improvements in energy efficiency and on the promotion of renewable energy can contribute towards both meeting the Kyoto Protocol targets and sustainable development in host countries.