CDM No Yankee

The global, environmentally-conscious production company CDM or Clean Development Mechanism is a pivotal figure in producing progressive and sustainable building and energy practices around the world. They work on every populated continent and have some kind of major development operation on all of them. There is a curious blank spot in North America though. It seems the United States and Canada have been hesitant to endorse any kind of serious involvement with CDM.

As you can see from the graphic, Asia and Eurasia have been the most enthusiastic groups of nations to implement the technological solutions CDM has to offer. South America has dozens of major operations underway, ranging in size from small to very large. These operations range from Methane recovery in Brazil (AWMS Methane Recovery Project BR06-S-29, Sao Paulo, Brazil),  to the Santa Cruz Hydroelectric Power Plant in Peru. In Africa CDM is responsible for Hydroelectric (3090: Felou Regional Hydropower. Large 188282) project and Wind Power Plants, as well as runoff plants to protect rivers (, and operations that convert coal and oil burning plants to natural gas burning plants without affecting the lifetime of the plant itself (Rosslyn Brewery Fuel- Switching Project ).

 I use these examples because they range from developed and populated areas to very rural and agricultural areas. The point is that it isn't even a question of affordability, it just isn't popular in the U.S. to admit having made mistakes by admitting they need to be fixed.

Perhaps it is fitting that other parts of the world are leading the way in this. It would be nice to see the U.S. peer-pressured into cleaning up it's own act for once. For all of the military leverage this nation exercises, we aren't very good about cleaning up messes abroad or here at home. That people go without clean water is already unthinkable. To think that people go without clean water in the wealthiest nation the world has ever seen in unconscionable. With widespread and increasing drought in the American Southwest, flammable taps in Colorado, and what is left of Louisiana's coastline, it should be clear that we can use all the technology we can get our hands on. But we don't.

This is not to say that CDM doesn't do any work in these countries. In the US CDM has played a big part in helping communities in New Jersey and Florida, cleans up asbestos in Montana, 'cleans and greens' California, provided chemical runoff solutions at an airport in Pittsburgh, and the list goes on. CDM is a player here, but the United States just isn't this player's home court.

An interactive map of the image above can be found at:
http://cdm.unfccc.int/Projects/MapApp/index.html