Sustainability check up for CDM projects

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol seeks to foster sustainable development. How can one assess the contribution of a given CDM project to a specific sustainability objective? This book provides a systematic overview of various approaches on how to assess the sustainability of CDM projects. The methodology Multi-Attributive Assessment of CDM (MATA-CDM), which evaluates CDM projects by means of 12 clearly defined criteria, is presented and discussed in detail. It produces comprehensive and pragmatic sustainability profiles of CDM projects. The methodology has been tested in case studies in India and South Africa. The administration of Uruguay is currently implementing MATA-CDM in order to officially approve CDM projects. Based on these experiences the book recommends a streamlined methodology for host country approvals. Christoph Sutter is an expert on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. He combines hands-on experience with scientific knowledge. He has been working in the renewable energy sector for the last ten years and is a consultant to various CDM projects. This book is based on his Ph. D. thesis written at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich.