Climate-neutral Council Presidency: How the remaining emissions will be offset - Main contents
Climate change mitigation is a key focus of the German Presidency of the Council of the EU i. Presidency events and videoconferences were therefore organised as sustainably as possible. All unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions will now be offset by investments in climate change mitigation projects.
One thing was clear from the start - Germany wanted to make its Presidency of the Council of the EU as climate-friendly as possible. It did away with gifts for delegations and set out requirements for the use of local, fair-trade food in catering; thorough waste prevention strategies, and stringent environmental standards for event venues. However, greenhouse gas emissions cannot be reduced to zero. With its various events and videoconferences, even Germany’s sustainable Presidency will have left a carbon footprint. The Federal Environment Agency has calculated this to be 71,519 tonnes of CO2 equivalents.
“We will offset these emissions by supporting international projects for climate change mitigation,” explains Stefanie Böther of the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHst) at the Federal Environment Agency. The principle of voluntary offsetting is based on the idea that it makes no difference, in terms of climate change, where exactly emissions are generated or avoided. Emissions generated in one place can be offset by emission reductions elsewhere - as well as by investing in projects which cut greenhouse gas emissions.
Germany will offset its Presidency footprint by purchasing certified emission reduction (CER) credits from projects that are certified in line with the clean development mechanism (CDM) in the Kyoto Protocol of the UN. Each credit certifies that the emission of one tonne of CO2 equivalents has been prevented through the climate change mitigation project. The credits are used to finance climate projects which often not only demonstrably reduce emissions in the local area, but also bring long-term benefits for the host countries - such as through creating jobs or protecting residents’ health.
Immediately after their acquisition, Germany will delete the credits so that they can no longer be traded on the voluntary market for greenhouse gas offsets. This means that the offset is permanently ensured.
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What is the CDM?
The clean development mechanism (CDM) is an independently monitored market instrument developed by the UN. CDM projects must be audited in line with the regulations in the Kyoto Protocol to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Independent auditors are engaged to review the quality of each project. Once it is up and running, independent experts will continue to regularly check how many emissions it has actually prevented.
Three projects have been chosen to offset the emissions generated by Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the EU. All three are micro-projects which directly contribute to sustainable local development and are located in three of the least developed countries in the world: Malawi, Zambia and Uganda.