CCS Projects as Kyoto Protocol CDM Activities

The December 2011 decision by the meetings of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, to adopt modalities and procedures for carbon dioxide capture and geological storage (CCS) as clean development mechanism (CDM) project activities under the Kyoto Protocol was the culmination of many years of international negotiation. The Durban CCS decision establishes a practical international standard for managing CCS projects that ensures a high level of environmental protection. It is an important official recognition by the UNFCCC that CCS is a technology capable of achieving deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions in developing countries and sets an important precedent for the inclusion of CCS projects within emerging international markets and other financing and technology support mechanisms outside of the CDM. This paper analyses the Durban CCS decision and the implications for project proposals.