Carbon credits

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is a collaborative effort of nations growing out of the Convention on Climate Change (Rio, 1992), extended in 1995 in Berlin, and finalized into action in Kyoto in 1999. From 2000 onward, the CDM has functioned as a framework for cooperation between developed countries that need to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and developing states, some of which are engaging in work to reduce emissions, literally around the world. 
Nations providing financial support to those activities, even if not within their borders, are granted "credit" towards meeting their own emission-reduction goals. Only a portion of the required reduction of states party to the Kyoto Protocol can be met in this way, and strict criteria apply. The mechanism has substantial potential for the solar cooking movement. To take advantage of this opportunity, promoters must become substantially more knowledgeable about the potential, and the steps necessary to initiate such agreements. U.S. citizens are disadvantaged here in a sense, since the U.S has not chosen to sign the Kyoto agreement and hence American manufacturers have no legal obligation to reduce emission, (though common sense - and certainly most environmentalists - suggest they should be doing so anyway).
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*January 2024: Haines solar cookers to be assembled at the Kakuma Refugee Camp - Haines Solar Cookers LLC announces a project to provide 5,000 solar cookers to refugees in Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya. The new “Pop Open” cookers will be assembled in the camp by students at Don Bosco Technical Institute, who will also train local households in solar cooking. The project is modeled on a successful solar cooker carbon credits project in a Darfur refugee camp in Chad: https://platform.sustain-cert.com/public-project/5. The company will seek Gold Standard certification to make the project self-sustaining through the sale of carbon credits, and easily scaled up to other refugee camps. The company is also making Haines Pop Open Solar Cookers available to the Alliance for African Assistance-Kenya in Nairobi. 
*Spring 2023: - German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action
*December 2012: Large solar cooker program in Zhangye - 49,000 solar cookers have been distributed to low income residents in Zhangye, through the Heqing Solar Cooker Project! In this rural area, coal has historically been the primary fuel source. The high altiude location of Zhangye makes it ideal for solar cooking and a carbon offset program. Read more...
*December 2019: Airline now buys carbon credit offsets - The U.K.-based, EasyJet Airline, announced othat it will be the world's first major airline to offset the carbon footprint of all its customers' flights. EasyJet says its new program will cover the cost of offsets to provide carbon neutral flights throughout its entire route network by supporting carbon mitigation projects in "forestry, renewable, and community based projects" vetted by Gold Standard and the Verified Carbon Standard guidelines. The program will also include subsidizing solar cooking introductory projects. Read more...
*December 2018:  that Gold Standard shared at recent United Nations SCI press conference
*November 2018: The Clean Development Mechanism is transitioning to the Carbon Mechanisms Review.
*October 2016: The price offered for Carbon Credits has fallen sharply over recent years. 
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*February 2012: Partnership for Clean Indoor Air has posted webinar information on using Gold Standard Methodology with carbon credits. 
*November 2011: Kyoto Twist Update - Jack Anderson reports: "For the past six years the Kyoto Twist Solar Cooking Society has been supporting small projects in Mali, Haiti, Tanzania, Bolivia and most recently Madagascar. Today I will summarize some of the results we have tabulated so far. Most of our partners have years of experience before we make contact. They already know what works well in their communities. We add a layer of fuel use monitoring in order record fuel savings over the first year of cooker use. The data is collected at monthly follow up meetings that are required. The women have been selected carefully to begin with, but we support this important peer connection and learning aspect. Here is a summary of some of our findings: It has cost an average of $198 USD per family to supply, train, monitor and administer these small projects (30 to 100 women in each of our 14 projects). The average cost for a family to own and use the cookers provided, which usually includes a retained heat cooker and/or improved biomass stove is around $20USD per year. Conventional fuel saving after one year averages between 40 and 50 percent. Greenhouse gas reduction, based on IPCC default factors alone is between 2 and 6 tons annually. Financial savings vary by country and type of fuel, but are in some cases as high as 30% of disposable income."
*November 2011: Discussion on not continuing credit procedures at Solar Cooking Netherlands (SCN): From 2007 to 2009 SCN was actively involved in arranging credits for the women who earn these credits through the use of Integrated Cooking Method appliances that the Solar Connect Association (SCA), and SCN provided in projects in Uganda and also in Ethiopia. SCN dealt with professional consultants, non-governmental development organizations, all actively involved in CO2 trading and business markets. SCN also initiated a field elaborate CO2 survey, data mainly collected by SCA all to the rules and regulations required. SCN, Arnold Leufkens , and Clara Thomas discussed this with Patrick Widmer at the Solar Cookers International (SCI) Sacramento office. We exchanged our views with P Widmer and suggested that SCI would possibly be in a better position towards the UN organizations (Kyoto) to establish a uniform international standard in procuring credits for Integrated Cooking projects world wide. The SCN board finally decided not to continue credit procedures for the following reasons:
# credits are in fact earned by the users of ISSC/ Solar Plus appliances; any assurance that the actual credit earnings are paid back to these users could not be given.
#In a social business approach women fabricate solar cookers, insulated hay baskets and other fuel-saving cooking appliances themselves. This is another reason to let them have the credits earnings.
#The procurement (charges by consultants, accountants, banks and agents) are usually excessively high.
#SCN is a foundation working with volunteers and funded by many private donations. Activities are exclusively focused on starting up and implementing Integrated Cooking projects and promoting the establishment of small enterprises. Any financial business risk or high costs in dealing with credit projects are beyond the financial capacity of the foundation.
*December 2010: Offsets for Darfur: is an initiative designed by SENSE Foundation to target both environmental issues and support the Solar Cooker Project - an ingenious solar delivery and training program for Sudanese refugees in Chad based camps delivered and facilitated by Solar Cooker International, Kozon and Jewish World Watch. The benefits of "Offsets for Darfur" are twofold with both environmental and humanitarian aid aspects including the mitigation of: • carbon output in Chad refugee camps, • health issues related to firewood cooking. • women's safety issues related to sourcing firewood outside of camp boundaries • and unemployment in refugee camps - the project offers training and employment opportunities within the camps. More Information on the program.
*December 2010: Carbon offset foundation partners with solar cooking project in Madagascar. The Swiss non-profit foundation, MyClimate, is a leader when it comes to voluntary carbon offsetting measures. They have recently partnered with Association pour le Développement de l’Energie Solaire (ADES), another Swiss non-profit, that manufactures and distributes solar cookers in Madagascar. The offsetting mechanism offered by MyClimate will enable the expansion of the initial ADES project, and growth into other provinces of Madagascar. Their projection over the next seven years, is to distribute up to 44,000 solar cookers and 8,600 energy-efficient supplementary cookers to realize a reduction of up to 190,000 tons of .
*November 2010: Jack Anderson, Program Coordinator for the Kyoto Twist Solar Cooking Society, reports that 2010 has been a productive year. Including the implementation of four new projects in three countries: Bolivia, Tanzania, and two in Mali. Working in areas where deforestation is extreme, their efforts have focused on introducing the Integrated Cooking approach, which includes using a solar panel cooker, heat retained cooking basket, and an efficient wood/charcoal stove when necessary.
*April 2010: World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth - Thousands of grass root organizations, politicians, intellectuals, scientists and individuals will debate about climate change next week, April 19th-22nd, in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Discussion will include black carbon emissions and the practical solutions that are available to tackle them.Conference Information...
*October 2009: Mass-market U.N. carbon scheme finds favor in India - Reuters
*September 2009: Kenya: Carbon Manna Unlimited to Help Kenyan Farmers Sell Carbon Credits in Rich Countries - Micro Capital
*March 2009: Proposed CDM projects would distribute 34,000 solar cookers in China - Solar Cooker Review
*August 2008: For many years, Fundación EcoAndina has promoted the concept of solar villages in Jujuy province. Among its accomplishments is the distribution of over 250 solar cookers for family use, 23 solar kitchens for community use, and a number of solar water heating and irrigation devices. Fundación EcoAndina recently partnered with WISIONS, an initiative of the Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy, to “develop a strategy for the optimal use of carbon credits to make solar equipment affordable for the users.” The initial step is to use new technology to monitor 50 solar cookers in a field test and assess their reductions. According to its Web site, Fundación EcoAndina hopes to “develop local human capacity to handle the carbon market,” and to “build an effective incentive structure for the correct and constant use of solar applications.”
*November 2007: Jakarta officials plan to reduce kerosene consumption by distributing 30,000 parabolic solar cookers as part of a Clean Development Mechanism project, according to a recent Jakarta Post article by Adianto P. Simamora. The pilot phase of the project will take place in Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) regency, where sunshine is plentiful. As reported in the article, “Jakarta consumes about 2.7 million liters of kerosene a day. A family using one liter of kerosene per day emits two tons of carbon dioxide () each year.” Kerosene is available to consumers at a state-subsidized price of Rp. 2,000 per liter (about $0.22). “The solar cookers will be provided for free by German company EnerXi GMbh to support the city’s attempts to take part in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project,” writes Simamora. Through CDM projects, developing countries can earn Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) based on the resulting amount of reduction. (One CER is equivalent to one ton of .) To help meet Kyoto Protocol targets, developed countries can then purchase CERs from developing countries. According to the article, the price of one CER is between $5-10. 
*May 2007: Thirty thousand solar cookers to be sent to Indonesia to cut kerosene use in European CDM project - The Jakarta Post
==Articles in the media==
*September 2022: Salesforce launches the first carbon credit marketplace - IT Brief-New Zealand
*June 2012: OPIN Offsets 100 Tonnes of Carbon CO2 - EinPressWire
*October 2016: Carbon violence and green denial: How Green Resources ignores the impacts of its industrial tree plantations on communities in Uganda - redd-monitor.org
*January 2013: Burning Fuel Particles Do More Damage to Climate Than Thought - New York Times
*November 2010: Cancun Climate Conference: What is my carbon footprint? - The Telegraph
*July 2008: India's Temples Go Green - Time Magazine
*February 2008: Indian Government looking for consultants to tap CDM benefits - The Economic Times
*May 2007: Thirty thousand solar cookers to be sent to Indonesia to cut kerosene use in European CDM project - The Jakarta Post
*April 2007: Solar cooking cuts emissions - Powell River Peak
*January 2006: 
*November 2005: Germany to earn CERs through solar kitchens - Solar Cooker Review
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*April 2021: - Carbon Mechanisms Review
*March 2021: - Carbon Market Watch 
*March 2021: - Carbon Market Watch 
*June 2019: Proposals to finance energy projects of developing countries by the voluntary compensation of greenhouse gas emissions (, ) - Dieter Seifert
*January 2019: Compensation of emissions as a global opportunity for climate protection (, ) - Dieter Seifert
*January 2017: Carbon Mechanisms - Germany: Federal Ministry for the Environment
*February 15, 2014: - Trish Sheehan (Solar Household Energy)
*May 2010: Partnership for Clean Air Bulletin - April 2010
*August 2009: Interview with Dieter Seifert discussing CDM by Costa Rican press
*March 2009: 
*November 2007: (original German text with photos), (English translation)
* July 2006: - Dieter Seifert et al
* July 2006: - Carolyn Luce
* July 2006: - Michael Grupp, et al
* July 2006: - Herliyani Suharta
* January 2006: 
* January 2003: 
==NGOs employing carbon credits in solar cooking projects==
==Audio and video==
*January 2017:
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*July 2014:
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*July 2014:
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==See also==
* Dieter Seifert
* Synopsis Use Meter
* SolCoDat (a device to measure the amount of solar energy consumed for project verification)
* Promoting solar cooking
==External links==
*Carbon Mechanisms Review
*Carbon Mechanisms Review 02-2018: Paving the Way - German Ministry of the Environment
*Carbon Mechanisms - German Ministry of the Environment
*balance
*Carbon Offsets for Darfur, SENSE Foundation
*The Gold Standard Foundation The Gold Standard is the world’s only high quality certification standard for carbon offsets, created to ensure that international compliance and voluntary carbon markets work towards a long-term solution to mitigate climate change while promoting sustainable development and other environmental benefits.
*Federal Intertrade Hong-Ru River Solar Cooker Project
*Federal Intertrade Pengyang Solar Cooker Project
*The Wikipedia article on the Clean Development Mechanism
*United Nations Enviroment Program CDM Bazaar website
*CDM Lusaka Sustainable Energy Project 1
*http://www.climatecare.org
Category:Solar cooking promotion
Category:Curated pages