Basics: Paris Agreement | Environment for UPSC 2025 (Pre & Mains) PDF Download

 Page 1


 
COP 24, KATOWICE, POLAND 
 
Page 2


 
COP 24, KATOWICE, POLAND 
 
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement established the 
Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) as a new 
carbon market instrument for the period after 2020.  
Its purpose is inter alia to replace the existing 
mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM and 
JI with a more effective climate tool.  
The chapeau of Article 6 sets out the overall purpose of 
the article including the SDM, namely that its 
provisions are established to promote - 
 i) higher ambition ii) sustainable development and iii) 
environmental integrity.  
Page 3


 
COP 24, KATOWICE, POLAND 
 
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement established the 
Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) as a new 
carbon market instrument for the period after 2020.  
Its purpose is inter alia to replace the existing 
mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM and 
JI with a more effective climate tool.  
The chapeau of Article 6 sets out the overall purpose of 
the article including the SDM, namely that its 
provisions are established to promote - 
 i) higher ambition ii) sustainable development and iii) 
environmental integrity.  
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
The SDM will function in a radically changed 
world, where all Parties have commitments 
to contribute to the common objectives of  
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, 
 De-carbonization by the second half of this 
century, and  
The Sustainable Development Goals laid out in 
the UN 2030 Agenda. 
 Notably, under the Paris Agreement, all Parties 
can host SDM projects on a voluntary basis.  
Page 4


 
COP 24, KATOWICE, POLAND 
 
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement established the 
Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) as a new 
carbon market instrument for the period after 2020.  
Its purpose is inter alia to replace the existing 
mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM and 
JI with a more effective climate tool.  
The chapeau of Article 6 sets out the overall purpose of 
the article including the SDM, namely that its 
provisions are established to promote - 
 i) higher ambition ii) sustainable development and iii) 
environmental integrity.  
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
The SDM will function in a radically changed 
world, where all Parties have commitments 
to contribute to the common objectives of  
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, 
 De-carbonization by the second half of this 
century, and  
The Sustainable Development Goals laid out in 
the UN 2030 Agenda. 
 Notably, under the Paris Agreement, all Parties 
can host SDM projects on a voluntary basis.  
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
Page 5


 
COP 24, KATOWICE, POLAND 
 
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
Article 6 of the Paris Agreement established the 
Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) as a new 
carbon market instrument for the period after 2020.  
Its purpose is inter alia to replace the existing 
mechanisms under the Kyoto Protocol, the CDM and 
JI with a more effective climate tool.  
The chapeau of Article 6 sets out the overall purpose of 
the article including the SDM, namely that its 
provisions are established to promote - 
 i) higher ambition ii) sustainable development and iii) 
environmental integrity.  
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
The SDM will function in a radically changed 
world, where all Parties have commitments 
to contribute to the common objectives of  
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees, 
 De-carbonization by the second half of this 
century, and  
The Sustainable Development Goals laid out in 
the UN 2030 Agenda. 
 Notably, under the Paris Agreement, all Parties 
can host SDM projects on a voluntary basis.  
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 
MECHANISM (SDM) 
DOUBLE COUNTING 
In the context of climate change mitigation, double counting is 
widely used to describe situations where a single greenhouse gas 
emission reduction or removal is used more than once to 
demonstrate compliance with mitigation targets. 
 
 Traded reductions might be “double counted,” meaning counted 
once by the country of origin when reporting its emissions 
inventory, and again by the receiving country (or other entity) 
when justifying emissions above its pledged climate effort.  
In the absence of rules, a country of origin could reduce emissions to 
meet its pledged effort and transfer those to a recipient; the 
recipient could then claim those same reductions to meet its 
pledged effort. 
 In that case, only one reduction has actually occurred, but it is being 
claimed twice. 
 Analyses indicate that such double-claiming could eliminate the 
entire climate benefit of all the NDCs under the Paris Agreement.