How additional is the Clean Development Mechanism? Analysis of the application of current tools and proposed alternatives

The main focus of this study is to assess to what extent the CDM meets its objective to deliver "real, measurable and additional" emission reductions. It aims at identifying lessons learnt and providing recommendations for the further development of the CDM or other market-based mechanisms. As with any crediting mechanism, a key challenge is that the assessment of additionality and the determination of baseline emissions is counter-factual and therefore difficult to determine with certainty. The study employs a variety of approaches, including a comparative analysis of general CDM rules and an empirical analysis of specific project types which is based on data including from UNEP Risoe, IGES and UNFCCC.