Lloyd’s Register has verified South Asia’s first certified emissions reductions (CERs) under the UN’s Programme of Activities (PoA) framework.
The nine-month first phase of the project, Improved Cooking Stoves in Bangladesh, prevented more than 28,500 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere and improved the living environment for the families who received 57,000 new energy-efficient stoves.
“This programme clearly illustrates the direct benefits of the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism [CDM] in real terms. It is a great example of how technical expertise, a rigorous auditing process and an established funding mechanism can be combined to benefit society, and support future projects,” Krishna Nair, LRQA Business Manager, South West Asia, said. “We drew upon the collective expertise of our global team to assure the viability of the project for the developers and subsequently helped to improve the living environment for several thousand people in the developing world and beyond.”
Improved Cooking Stoves (ICS) is being developed by Gramin Shakti, a Dhaka-based not-for-profit organisation established to promote, develop and popularise renewable energy in rural Bangladesh.
The PoA is being co-ordinated by J. P. Morgan Ventures Energy Corp and is expected to feature a 28-year lifecycle of related activities committed to reducing the dissemination of greenhouse gases.
LRQA was contracted by J. P. Morgan Ventures as the UNFCCC-accredited “designated operational entity” to independently verify the CERs. The verification process was supported by EcoSecurities, a wholly-owned indirect subsidiary of J. P. Morgan Chase & Co.
The emissions reductions were verified after a rigorous sampling of on-site visits, relying on complex statistical techniques and comprehensive interviews with the stove-users and Grameen Shakti’s technical staff and management to assure the accuracy of their approach to monitoring and data collection.
“This was the first time LRQA has verified a PoA,” said Archak Pattanaik, LRQA’s Climate Change Manager for South West Asia. “It clearly illustrates our ability to manage the kind of complex verifications that require a firm understanding of the sector, statistical sampling techniques and the ability to deliver projects that require coordination, planning and often challenging logistical arrangements.”
During the project, traditional stoves were replaced with a more energy-efficient, smokeless variety that offer a more efficient transfer of heat, reducing the amount of fuel required for cooking, and consequently reducing CO2 emissions.
The initiative contributes to sustainable development by reducing fuel consumption by 40 to 50% and greatly improves indoor air quality, offering a much healthier living environment for families.
LRQA’s verification resulted in the issuance of 28,551 CERs, which indicates the PoA achieved a reduction of 28,551 tonnes of CO2 during the first monitoring period, covering July 2011 to March 2012.
‘Improved Cooking Stoves in Bangladesh’ is only the third PoA globally to be issued CERs under the UN’s PoA framework.