The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) provides a means for countries or companies to financially contribute to GHG reduction measures in developing countries in return for "certified emissions reductions" (CERs), provided these measures also result in sustainable development. The CDM will be the first means — domestic or international — by which Canadian companies can purchase CERs that could be used to meet domestic emission reduction commitments, or sold (traded) to other GHG emitters at a later date. This Guide provides Canadian companies interested in using the CDM, and potential CDM project hosts in developing countries, with all the information necessary to develop environmentally sound CDM projects and steer them through the approval process. The Guide includes the following topics:
- The basic rules governing the CDM;
- CDM project types;
- Roles companies can play in a CDM project as investors or purchasers of CERs;
- Sustainable development criteria and environmental integrity guidelines;
- A step-by-step procedure on how to develop and obtain approval for environmentally sound CDM projects;
- Simplified procedures that can be used for small CDM projects;
- Special features of energy efficiency CDM projects; and,
- Examples of CDM project opportunities.
