Sustainability Management in Cdm Project Activities: How to Demonstrate and Assess the Contribution to Sustainable Development of Clean Development Mechanism (Cdm) Project Activities

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is one of the flexibility mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. Among other goals, it pursues to assist non-Annex I Parties in achieving sustainable development, which is due to its context-specificity an opaque topic. As this criterion is a means for project approval in the host country, its definition is closely related to the discussion about the developing countries? self-determination. In the absence of an agreed way how to identify such a contribution to sustainable development, this goal of the CDM risks being underachieved. The study analyzes which approach would be suitable to demonstrate the contribution to sustainable development of a CDM project activity. This question is examined from the perspective of both the project developers and the Designated National Authorities (DNAs).