According to the firm, while the CDM rules have evolved quickly, until now there hasn’t been a publically available, logically-sequenced database to assist market players and stakeholders navigate the various laws surrounding the CDM.

“The CDM Rulebook represents a major step forward in the dissemination and understanding of CDM rules,” said partner Paul Curnow, who co-edits the site with associate Louisa Fitz-Gerald. “The availability of the site will remedy the serious barriers to accessing information, particularly for those in developing countries, and will contribute to reducing transaction costs.”

The site allows the rules to be browsed and located in various ways, including by stage in the project cycle, by project type, via an A—Z index and through a search engine using keywords. It also contains a list of key bodies involved in the CDM process, a comprehensive list of links to other relevant sites and a frequently asked questions page.

The firm has been developing the site over the last 18 months with funding from eight donor organisations — the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Swedish Energy Agency, the Australian Department of Climate Change, the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment, the Asian Development Bank, the United National Development Program, the World Bank and the UNEP Risoe Centre.

The site contains all sources of law related to the CDM, including Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol and decisions of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention (COP), the COP serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (COP/MOP) and the CDM Executive Board.

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The Rulebook has also been reviewed by an advisory panel, which comprises representatives from Designated National Authorities, Designated Operational Entities, regulators, lawyers, other market participants, as well as members of the firm’s global climate change practice group.

The site can be found at www.cdmrulebook.org.