A review of the CDM literature: from fine-tuning to critical scrutiny?

• Published in: International environmental agreements : politics, law and economics Vol. 9; no. 1; pp. 63 - 80
• Main Author: Paulsson, Emma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.02.2009; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Administrative expenses; Clean Development Mechanism; Climate change; Cost analysis; Developing countries; Earth and Environmental Science; Emissions; Emissions control; Environment; Environmental Economics; Environmental Law/Policy/Ecojustice; Environmental Management; Environmental Policy; Expenditures; Greenhouse effect; Host country; Institutionalization; Kyoto Protocol; Kyoto ProtocolClean development mechanismReviewAdditionalityCost effectivenessSustainable developmentPost-2012; Land use; LDCs; Nature Conservation; Negotiation; Original Paper; Political Science; Registration; Samhällsvetenskap; Social Sciences; Statsvetenskap; Studies; Sustainable Development; Cost effectiveness; Kyoto Protocol; Clean development mechanism; Additionality; Post-2012; Review; Sustainable development
• ISSN: 1567-9764; 1573-1553; 1573-1553
• DOI: 10.1007/s10784-008-9088-0

As negotiations on the post-2012 climate regime are now taking off, it is time to look back and assess the experiences of the clean development mechanism (CDM) to this date. The CDM has been subject to extensive discussion in academic literature during the last few years, and this article reviews that literature in order to sum up its main themes. A common assessment is that the current structure of the CDM leads to a focus on cheap emissions reductions at the expense of sustainable development benefits for the host countries. Recently, the questionable additionality of many CDM projects has become a central issue. The article further argues that whereas a substantial body of work exists on the CDM, this work is mainly preoccupied with a ‘fine-tuning’ of the mechanism. As the CDM now becomes increasingly institutionalized, scholars should also take a step back and study the CDM in a more theoretically oriented way.