The process through which industries including Tata and Reliance are seeking carbon credits under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) (see: What is CDM?) is nothing but a farce, reveals a report.
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The CDM authority does not do any field inspections to verify whether a project seeking CDM approval fulfils the eligibility criteria,” the report, prepared after a survey of 34 separate CDM projects, states. “Projects are accorded approval solely on the basis of paperwork they submit; it is taken for granted that a project applying for CDM status is automatically clean and sustainable; no matter if it fouls up the atmosphere and local people’s lives with fly ash and smoke, displaces people and their traditional livelihoods through mostly illegal land grab and ritually breaks every little promise of employment and area development made to the communities,” the report adds.
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On the other hand, the report notes corporates that seldom comply with CDM are reaping maximum benefits from these projects. The profits that Indian industries have made by cashing in on the Certified Emission Reductions (CER) points are “astounding”, the report states. For example, the report points, till early 2008, the Jindal group made Rs 11 billion from selling “supposedly reduced emissions” (1.3-million CERs) at their steel plant in Karnataka. Moreover, Tata Motors sold 1,63,784 CERs from clean wind projects at the rate of 15.7 Euros/CER in 2007. Tatas’ sponge iron projects in Odisha are set to yield 31,762 CERs every year. In 2006-07 alone, Godavari Fertilisers and Chemicals Limited (GFCL) group’s earning from carbon money was twice its total corporate assets. Reliance is now claiming it will earn a minimum of Rs 3,100 crore by selling CERs.
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