THE CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM AND THE POVERTY ISSUE

摘要

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the flexible mechanisms set forth by the Kyoto Protocol. The mechanism is designed to help Annex 1 Countries meet their greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitment by implementing a project in a Non-Annex 1 Country hosting the project, a project that must also enhance sustainable development in the host country. While there is no formal definition of sustainable development, one aspect of it is poverty eradication. The UNFCCC has recognized that climate change and poverty are linked. Because the CDM is the only mechanism involving developing countries, this Article analyzes the impacts of this mechanism on poverty alleviation. The first Part of the Article focuses on the current system and its failure as it relates to poverty eradication; neither the poorest countries nor the most vulnerable populations benefit from the CDM projects. The second Part of this Article focuses on possible modifications of the CDM to better address poverty, analyzes the financial schemes imagined or implemented to supplement the CDM, comes to the conclusion that the CDM is probably not an adequate solution to poverty eradication, and advocates for a new financial system to supersede the current mechanism.