The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) added another feather to its already embellished cap as it has been registered as the world’s first transport sector project under the Program of Activities (PoA) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). This has enabled DMRC to quantify climate change benefit from all Metro operations in India, an official statement issued on Sunday said.
The move will also facilitate the fast-tracking of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) registration of all upcoming rail-based Metro projects in the country, which will entitle them to collect carbon credit to the extent of reduction in carbon emissions, which could be traded in the international carbon market for money. PoA is an UN-mandated mechanism which allows similar carbon credit projects to be clubbed together that can be operated and managed under a single umbrella.
“Thus, for claiming carbon credits in future, DMRC will be the managing entity for all other Metros of India under the PoA mechanism, which will also facilitate fast-tracking of their CDM registration,” a DMRC spokesperson said. A recent study by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) claimed that Delhi Metro has helped keep more than 3.9 lakh vehicles off Delhi roads in 2014 thus saving Rs10,364 crore in terms of less fuel consumption and other benefits. On an average, Delhi Metro ferries over 25 lakh commuters daily. In 2008, DMRC had become the first railway project in the world to be registered by the United Nations under the Clean Development Mechanism, enabling it to claim carbon credits.