Cat Stace: What the FCCC are CDMs?
Great blog post by Cat Stace, a fellow UKYCC delegate to COP17, jargon-busting the term ‘Clean Development Mechanisms’.
So now back to topic – today’s acronym is CDM, the Clean Development Mechanism. CDM is a part of the Kyoto Protocol and allows countries who have signed up to reduce their own emissions to instead pay for emissions-reducing projects in other countries. This allows richer, developed countries in the global North to reduce emissions by helping poorer developing nations to reduce their emissions.
Her analogy later on is especially fun!
Critics might say that it is similar to someone avoiding going on a diet by feeding someone else celery whilst carrying on eating the Krispy Kremes. They’re helping out other people with the low-calorie options but not shifting their own pounds.
