Water Purification Technology
This report was last updated in November 2020. It may no longer be accurate, both with respect to the evidence it presents and our assessment of the evidence. We may revise this report in the future, depending on our research capacity and research priorities. Questions and comments are welcome.
Offsets based on water purification technology rely on the assumption that the technology replaces the practice of boiling for purification. In general, all parties would agree that households receiving the filters are not currently boiling water nor do they plan to. However, most water purification offsets are granted on the theory of “suppressed demand,” which is based on the concept that households have a right to clean water, and if they were wealthy enough, they would have boiled the water in the absence of the new technology. Although endorsed by the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), we don’t find this logic tying water purification to decreased emissions convincing, and therefore we do not recommend any offsets tied to water purification.
Offsets based on water purification are unlikely to lead to avoided emissions, and therefore we do not recommend purchasing them.
Water Purification as a Carbon Offset
Causality
Project-level Additionality
Marginal Additionality and Permanence
Co-benefits
Assessment of water purification projects
References
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