The clean development mechanism (CDM) was introduced as an approach to the utilisation of market mechanisms aimed at reducing greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This paper briefly summarises the principle of CDM in relation to its procedure : from the registration of a project under the CDM executive board to the issuance of certified emission reductions (CERs). Secondly, it analyses the current status and trends in registered CDM projects by employing data. Thirdly, it reviews how the CDM has been utilised in government and private sectors in Japan. The paper ends by raising some issues observed under the current CDM and implications for the future.

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Currently, intensive international negotiations are developing in order to establish a Post 2012 Framework, aimed at addressing the pressing global issue of climate change. This initiative, taken up at both national and international levels, is a continuation of negotiations put forth at the 13^th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP13, Bali meeting) that was held in December, 2007 and the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit held in July, 2008. The target of these negotiations is to be able to reach an agreement at the upcoming COP15, which is scheduled to take place at the end of 2009.
With regard to these ongoing negotiations, this paper stresses that there continues to be a significantly large gap between developed countries and developing countries, and progress has been quite sluggish. The primary cause for this is the problem of participation by developing countries in the next framework. In this context, the “Co-benefits Approach,” which has attracted international attention as an incentive for addressing the issue of climate change by developing countries, is introduced. The paper includes an explanation on the development of this approach thus far, the specific efforts being made by Japan, and a discussion on possible future directions.

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It has been frequently observed that a substantially lower amount of credits has been issued in comparison to what was initially estimated for CDM project activities in the field of waste handling and disposal. This paper focuses on landfill gas recovery, which is a main component of CDM project activities for waste handling and disposal. The current status of credit issuances and models for estimating baseline emissions are presented, and the factors contributing to a depression in credit issuances are discussed. As a result of this study, the median for the credit issuance rate regarding landfill gas recovery CDM project activities was 26.7%. The credit issuance rate is considered to be greatly effected by the setting of parameters, while the rate is less affected by selection of the estimation model. Estimation of greenhouse gas emissions in CDM project activities is currently highly dependent on limited data of uncertain reliability, or on the default parameters proposed by IPCC. Referring to such limited data and parameters, without adequate assessment of the current status of project sites, will certainly result in unrealistic emission estimations.

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Shimizu Corporation promotes the development of CDM/JI projects as one measure for achieving its overall environmental vision. At present, Shimizu is pushing forward the development of its methane-capture projects at landfill sites in Caucasia, the Middle East, Central Asia and throughout Southeast Asia. The Corporation has completed registration for three projects with CDMEB of the United Nations, and is currently proceeding with registration of three more projects.

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Semi-aerobic filling is being utilized in this project with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions at a landfill site in Malaysia and establishing the early stages for overall improvement of the plant environment through the addition of a ventilation facility.
The project is designed to improve the landfill site, currently in an anaerobic condition, to a semi-aerobic condition by installing a ventilation facility that uses a steel pipe-casing method. This will curb the quantity of methane gas being emitted from the landfill site.
Implementing this project will provide benefits that include the reduction of gas emissions, such as CH4 and hydrogen sulphide, from the landfill site as well as a lessened environmental impact. The risk of explosions and toxic gas generation at the landfill site will also be eliminated. With the expansion of the aerobic area, the degradation of wastes will be accelerated and the impact of leachate on the ambient environment will be decreased due to improved leachate discharge. Safe closure of the landfill site will also be achieved quickly.

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Based on past experience with international environmental cooperation, the City of Kyoto has conducted a bio-diesel project that utilizes waste cooking oil. The project aims to address both climate change mitigation concerns and local environmental protection (co-benefits). It also provides a model for a uniquely new kind of effort that can address the problem of climate change while at the same time involving citizens and the private sector. This is done with the incorporating of carbon-offsetting practices into the project.

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With an aim toward addressing the issue of global climate change, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is engaged in activities of support and cooperation based on four approaches within the sector of solid waste management : (1) Reduction of green house gas (GHG) emissions at landfills ; (2) Mitigation of solid waste GHG generation potentiality through intermediate treatment ; (3) Reduction of GHG emissions from the solid waste management (SWM) process through the enhancement of management system capacities ; (4) Promotion of the low-carbon society concept through waste reduction in the overall economic process.
Although CDM projects in the SWM sector thus far have mainly implemented the approaches described in (1) and (2) above, it has become crucial to also adopt the concepts in (3) and (4) in order to achieve sustainable development in developing countries. This is one of the main goals of CDM. Making sure to avoid isolated formulation and implementation, the CDM project must be formulated to become one part of an overall capacity development program for the field of SWM in developing countries.

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