Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation (CDM and JI) are major flaws in the Protocol. These loopholes are causing criticism from the press and committed countries.
Countries that have had a difficult time meeting the requirements of the Protocol can take part in the CDM. This program allows an industrious country to buy "credits" by investing in a poor country's emission-reducing industrial projects. (The poor country does not have to be committed to the Protocol (1i).) These rich countries invest in projects such as building "sinks" of plants like eucalyptus instead of investing in renewable energy sources (2g). A country can only use a max of 1% emission differences in the final amount (1h).
Unfortunately, many rich countries are abusing the program, seeing it as an easy out for reaching the emission quota.
However, with the Joint Implementation, each country must be committed to the Protocol. (1i)
Another "loophole" in the Protocol could be the fact that any country may use "roll-over" credits. This means that a country "will be allowed to bank from one commitment period to the next any assigned amount units (AAUs) that they do not need to meet their target" (1h).
Many other loopholes can and probably will be found by committed countries.
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2 comments:
Due to the fact that the Protocol is an agreement not a mandate, is there anyway to truly enforce these standards especially when leadership changes hands in the participating nations and the decision to stop following the Protocol is made?
While countries find loopholes around following the protocol, what happens to countries that just do not follow the guildelines of the protocol?
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