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Clean Development Mechanism in the transport sector – Experiences and future development

Panel: Panel 8: Transport and mobility

Authors:
Wolfgang Sterk, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Research Group on Energy, Transport and Climate Policy, Germany
Daniel Bongardt, Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, Research Group on Energy, Transport and Climate Policy, Germany
Holger Dalkmann, Team Leader, Transport Research Laboratory, Centre for Sustainability, United Kingdom
Bettina Wittneben, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Christian Baatz, Lüneburg University, Germany

Abstract

In development policies, transport is closely linked to economic progress. As the externalities of transport activities include numerous health hazards and environmental harms, decoupling of welfare and transport growth is necessary. While the project portfolio of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is expanding rapidly, the transport sector has so far played a rather minor role. In order to better understand why there are so few transport projects under the CDM, this paper examines current transport projects under the CDM framework. In addition, this paper explores in how far and what kind of sectoral approaches to the CDM may provide a better framework for transport projects. To this end, different transport instruments are discussed based on existing CDM criteria. We conclude that it is possible to design sectoral transport activities within clear project boundaries that fit into a framework of a programmatic or policy-based CDM. Although we are able to ascertain that transport policy research yields several modelling tools to address the methodological requirements of the CDM, sectoral approaches will only compound transport projects’ problems regarding high complexity and related uncertainties. The CDM may therefore need new rules to manage these risks. Nevertheless, sectoral approaches allow the scaling up of activities to a level that affects long-term structural change. Permitting sectoral projects under the CDM may allow for the implementation of comprehensive measures such as transport master plans that can enable a variety of activities impacting transport trends significantly.

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