Climate change is a reality which we seem to fail at dealing with. Several difficulties emerge:
- the identification of climate change factors
- the selection of mitigation/adaptation solutions
- the projects and measures to give priority to
We chose to focus on a particular technology, the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) which aims at capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it deep underground to prevent it from reaching the atmosphere. From all the issues related to CCS, we are focusing on its inclusion into the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).
The CDM is one of the “flexibility” mechanisms defined in the Kyoto Protocol. It is intended to promote clean development in developing countries and meet 2 main objectives:
- decrease in the release of greenhouse gases
- sequester greenhouse gases from the atmosphere
After years of negotiation, it was finally agreed upon to include CCS into the CDM during the Durban Climate Change Conference in November/December 2011, which has lead to an offical settlement of the controversy. This website will focus on the issues discussed during the inclusion process over the years, which were the key reasons for the long winding path to agreeing on a settlement.
Studying the process of the Carbon Capture and Storage inclusion within the Clean Development Mechanism gives a complete overview on what is at stake with the implementation of this technology, on the dynamics in international negotiations and on the compromises between actors who have different objectives and motivations.