New Zealand’s Conservative government has released its first annual report on its New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS), and the general assessment is that it is working well. In the report, released August 1st, climate minister Nick Smith implied that he was pleased with how smoothly the scheme is progressing in achieving its twin [...]

In 1989, the Montreal Protocol laid out an extensive set of environmental rules that regulate and phase-out gases which contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer: including hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons. Coming only 10 years later, the United Nations’ were able to build on that success when the Kyoto Protocol (KP) provided [...]

The United Nation’s flexible mechanisms were introduced as a cost-effective and efficient method to help poorer countries develop sustainably, whilst providing developed countries another option to meet commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the Joint Implementation (JI) have progressed at different rates, with different levels of engagement and varying degrees [...]

Founded in 1919, Société Générale de Surveillance, commonly known as SGS, are now potentially the world leading Designated Operational Entity (DOE) working within the remit of the United Nation’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). But did they become so well established through raw business acumen, taking the ‘first mover’ advantage in a fledgling industry, or being [...]