Programs of Activities
A Program of Activities (PoA) is a type of project implementation within the framework of the two project-based mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI).
Function and characteristics of a PoA
A PoA is a climate protection program that can be composed of a large number of individual climate protection measures. Only the overarching program has to go through the usual CDM / JI approval procedures, but not the individual measures that take place under the umbrella of the program. The size of the program and the individual projects do not have to be fixed at the time of registration, which means that further program activities can be added to the PoA during the project period. As a result of this simplification and the combination of several individual measures, smaller and geographically widely distributed measures, e.g. B. Efficiency measures and decentralized renewable energy systems can be achieved through CDM and JI, which in themselves would not be large enough to be able to bear the transaction costs as individual projects under the CDM or JI.
PoAs under the CDM
The introduction of PoAs in CDM (programmatic CDM) is closely linked to the goal of counteracting existing inadequacies of the CDM. With the help of PoAs, the CDM is intended, on the one hand, to advance into previously neglected sectors such as energy efficiency , transport and renewable energies and to increasingly address energy use. Since the programmatic CDM is also suitable for smaller developing countries that have so far only benefited to a small extent from the CDM, attempts are also being made to mitigate the unequal geographical distribution of CDM projects.
Central components of a CDM PoA
In PoAs under the CDM of the program activities (CPA-plane) can be made between the program plane and the plane:
a) program level (PoA level)
. At this level, organizational, financial and methodological framework by the so-called are Coordinating Entity defined which can be, for example, a government agency, a non-governmental organization (NGO), or a company. She applies for and coordinates the PoA and is responsible for communication with the CDM Executive Board. The term of a PoA is limited to max. 28 years fixed.
b) Program activity level (CPA level)
Subordinate to the program level is the level of the program activities at which the actual emission reductions are achieved through several CDM Program Activities (CPAs). CPAs can be individual measures or bundles of measures that are implemented either in a single location or in various locations. Since the use of different baseline and monitoring methods under a PoA is permitted under certain conditions, different measures and technologies, such as B. Energy efficiency and renewable energies are combined. The auditing company (Designated Operational Entity - DOE) charged with auditing the PoAs is responsible for adding further CPAs, the duration of which, as with conventional CDM projects, is either 10 years (cannot be extended) or 7 years (can be extended twice).
Historical development of the introduction of PoAs in the CDM
At the first Conference of the Parties in 2005, the member states of the Kyoto Protocol decided that various project activities can be registered under a Program of Activities as a single CDM project. At its 32nd meeting in June 2007, the CDM Executive Board, which is responsible for the implementation regulation of CDM projects, laid down the basic provisions for the registration of PoAs and defined the requirements for the distribution of the generated climate protection certificates. At its 36th meeting in November 2007, the CDM Executive Board approved the official Project Design Documents (PDDs) forms, on the basis of which decisions will be made on project approval.
Differentiation from CDM project bundles
A type of project implementation related to PoAs is the bundling of several CDM project activities under a single CDM project. By bundling, the affected projects can, among other things, use common validation and certification reports and thus reduce their transaction costs. Project bundles differ significantly from PoAs in that when projects are bundled, it must be determined at the time of registration which activities belong to the bundle. A subsequent addition of further projects as with PoAs is therefore not possible.
PoAs under JI
Under the Kyoto Joint Implementation mechanism, there are basically two options for carrying out climate protection projects: While under Track I the implementation rules are defined by the individual host countries and the JI project is carried out without the involvement of an international body, under Track II a common set of rules must be followed and an international body, the JISC (Joint Implementation Supervisory Committee). The implementation under Track II is therefore more similar to the course of CDM projects. The implementation of JI-PoAs is possible under both tracks. Since the implementation regulations of PoAs under Track I are defined by the individual JI host countries, only the implementation under Track II will be discussed below.
Central components of a JI-PoA under Track II
Analogous to the components of a PoA under the CDM, there are also two levels of a JI PoA: the program level and the program activity level.
a) Program level (PoA level)
The JI-PoA forms the framework in which the coordinating entity defines the conditions for achieving a specified goal or implementing a policy. In contrast to CDM PoAs, however, the term of JI PoAs is not fixed.
b) Program activity level (JPA level)
On a level subordinate to the program level, there are several JI Program Activities (JPAs) in which the actual emission reductions are achieved. During the term of the JI-PoA, the coordinating entity can add further JPAs to the program.
Historical development of the introduction of PoAs in JI
Based on the development in the CDM, JI-PoAs were initially developed in Track I, especially by Germany. Based on this, the procedures for the implementation of JI-PoAs under Track II were defined by the JISC at its 18th meeting in October 2009 and can be applied since December of the same year.
Current status of PoAs
On July 31, 2009, the first CDM PoA was registered. Since then, the CDM Executive Board has registered ten additional programs. Another 110 are currently still in the validation process (as of September 2011). In contrast, the development of JI PoAs is significantly behind. In addition to 22 JI PoAs under Track I, all of which are carried out in Germany, there are currently only two PoAs under Track II in the global JI pipeline.
literature
- Climate Focus: The Handbook for Program of Activities - Practical Guidance to Successful Implementation. Amsterdam 2011. ( PDF )
- KfW Bankengruppe: PoA Blueprint Book - Guidebook for PoA coordinators under CDM / JI. 2nd revised version. Frankfurt am Main 2010. ( PDF )
- South Pole: PoA - Developing CDM Programs of Activities: A Guidebook. Zurich 2010. ( PDF )
- UNEP: A Primer on CDM Program of Activities. Roskilde 2009. ( PDF )
Individual evidence
- ↑ KfW Bankengruppe: PoA Blueprint Book - Guidebook for PoA coordinators under CDM / JI, 2nd Revised Version, Frankfurt am Main, 2010, p. 13.
- ↑ Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety: The CDM / JI Initiative of the BMU: For more engagement in international climate protection investments, Berlin 2008, p. 21.
- ↑ UNEP: A Primer on CDM Program of Activities, Roskilde 2009, pp. 9-10.
- ↑ Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety: Investments for Climate Protection - The project-based mechanisms CDM and JI, Berlin 2010, p. 22.
- ↑ Climate Focus: The Handbook for Program of Activities - Practical Guidance to Successful Implementation, Amsterdam 2011, p. 28.
- ^ South Pole: PoA - Developing CDM Programs of Activities: A Guidebook. Zurich 2010, p. 17.
- ↑ KfW Bankengruppe: PoA Blueprint Book - Guidebook for PoA coordinators under CDM / JI. 2nd revised version. Frankfurt am Main 2010, p. 26.
- ↑ KfW Bankengruppe: PoA Blueprint Book - Guidebook for PoA coordinators under CDM / JI. 2nd revised version. Frankfurt am Main 2010, p. 36 f.
- ↑ KfW Bankengruppe: PoA Blueprint Book - Guidebook for PoA coordinators under CDM / JI. 2nd revised version. Frankfurt am Main 2010, p. 38.
- ↑ UNEP Risoe CDM / JI Pipeline Analysis and Database, September 1st 2011 . Retrieved September 14, 2011.