Publication

This article examines whether the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) can promote low-carbon cities. It asks whether the CDM can motivate cities to take climate action or help them to overcome existing barriers for local climate governance and which obstacles cities face that want to engage in the CDM. It focuses on local authorities as the governing level of cities and CDM project that involve them. The remainder of the article describes the CDM in more detail; presents a case study of the network Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and the CDM, and discusses lessons learned, including possibilities for CDM reform.