Bioenergy and the Clean Development Mechanism

What’s land got to do with it? This academic paper explores the barriers to developing biomass energy projects for emissions credits under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism. The authors point out that since CDM does not encompass most types of land use, replacing non-renewable biomass energy with renewable (or more resource-efficient) energy sources can be “difficult if not impossible” under the mechanism. The report makes its case by describing the eligibility of different types of biomass energy projects as a means of offsetting emissions. It also discusses the improvement of traditional biomass energy usage for the mitigation of GHG emissions and contributing to sustainable development.