Fellendorf, A. (2018). Trading the temperature- voluntary carbon offsetting as climate change mitigation tool for developing countries: lessons from cookstove projects in Nepal [Master Thesis, Technische Universität Wien; Diplomatische Akademie Wien]. reposiTUm. https://doi.org/10.34726/hss.2018.57183
Current societies face accelerated anthropogenic climate change and accordingly have searched for mitigation responses. Voluntary carbon offsetting (VCO) schemes provide for CO₂ footprint compensation and account for climate injustices by channelling funds to developing countries. This research analyses to what extent VCO provides an effective mitigation tool for developing countries in the context of cookstove promotion. Globally, 2.8 billion people continue to rely on traditional and polluting technologies for cooking which concurs with multiple development concerns. Cookstove promotion reduces CO₂ and black carbon emissions and is considered best practice of consolidating greenhouse gas reductions and sustainable development. A novel case study of Nepal, a country heavily reliant on solid biomass, illustrates practical carbon credit potentials and challenges for VCO financing of cookstove programs. First, the carbon price is too low for profitable project design and coupled with an oversupply of offsets leads to risks and uncertainty. Moreover, the certification process is strenuous and deters additional mitigation projects. Nonetheless, the voluntary scheme is advantageous because it differentiates between cookstove projects and other market activities. Thereby clean cooking earns a premium price for its development co-benefits. Moreover, the scheme has led to capacity building and fostered environmental entrepreneurs in Nepal. The thesis concludes that with 63.4 MtCO₂e annual offsets, VCO represents no profound mitigation instrument in absolute emissions reductions. This might change, however, with the implementation of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and a sectoral emissions cap for international aviation. On the other hand, VCO provides capacity building and the possibility to monetize co-benefits of cookstove programs. In Nepal, funding from the carbon market could help alleviating more than three million households from indoor air pollution, coinciding with climate benefits. Lastly, it is recommended to measure black carbon emissions reductions for offset issuance since the substance purportedly adds the second strongest forcing on the climate system.