CDM projects and China’s CO2 emission reduction in 2006-2020

Abstract: The Clean Development Mechanism under Kyoto Protocol created a new age for current global emission situation. China, who owns over one third of the whole CDM projects in the world, occupies the main part of CDM development. As one of the biggest and most active economy, China declared that they would reduce their carbon emission by 40%-45% per unit GDP in 2020 compared with the 2005 level, in which CDM has the chance to highlight its value. By the day 28 April 2010, there are 814 registered CDM projects distributed in different provinces in China mainland and this number is still increasing rapidly. Because of large number of CDM projects and the significantly distinct situations in different regions of China, the author chooses two provinces, Shandong and Shaanxi, in east and west of China respectively, as representative samples to do this study. This essay investigates the current situation of CDM projects in those two provinces, and studies the contribution of these projects to emission reduction of Shandong and Shaanxi provinces in last and the next several years. The result shows that CDM projects do contribute to future potential emission reduction but their contribution are limited in these two provinces.