GERES argues in Cancun for changes in CDM funding to help poorest communities

The French NGO GERES - an Ashden winner in 2006 and in 2009 - has been to Cancun to participate in roundtable discussions about the Clean Development Mechanism.

GERES argues that because communities in the most vulnerable countries of the South have very low levels of CO2 emissions, they cannot take advantage of CDM funding.

If carbon-sparing technological solutions were introduced, these same communities could, however, benefit from better access to energy services, lighting and drinking water, while maintaining a constant emission level.

Swan Fauveaud, manager of the GERES Climate Change Unit, gives this example of the "vicious circle" at work.

In Ladakh, the introduction of passive solar greenhouses and better home insulation can raise the indoor temperature by 15 degrees celsius. According to current CDM accounting standards, this type of activity does not result in any eligible emission reductions because villagers living in poverty cannot afford to heat their homes. That's one of the paradoxes of the CDM!

pic: A woman in Ladakh harvests fresh produce in a solar greenhouse