Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Clean Development Mechanism:
A Key to Sustainable Development
Himanshu Nautiyal and Varun
Abstract
The emission of high amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the
atmosphere is the major cause for climate change. The average tempera-
ture of the Earth is increasing year by year. Kyoto Protocol was introduced
to set strict rules to control the high level of GHG emissions and promote
sustainable development. Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is an
effective mechanism to reduce emissions by promoting sustainable energy
projects. It allows emissions trading among different countries and helps
in achieving goals of emissions reduction. This chapter presents an over-
view of CDM, its methodology and impediments associated with it.
Keywords
Greenhouse gases Kyoto Protocol Certifi ed emissions reductions
GHG emissions in the atmosphere leads to
environmental devastation. Many major changes
in natural climate have been experienced through-
out the world. The primary consequence of cli-
mate variation is global warming which has
become one of the most serious environmental
concerns today because the Earth is getting
warmer year by year. According to a study on the
world's temperature variation conducted by
NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies
(GISS), the temperature of the Earth is increasing
at the rate of 0.15-0.20 °C per decade. As a mat-
ter of fact, the release of high amounts of GHG
emissions into the atmosphere is almost the main
cause of global warming. These gases absorb and
trap thermal radiations in the atmosphere which
causes the average temperature of the Earth to
increase. Power generation, transportation,
1
Introduction
Climate change is a part of the natural cycle of
the Earth, but industrialization and other
commercial activities have a signifi cant role in
the contribution of greenhouse gas (GHG) emis-
sions into the atmosphere. The high amount of
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