Dhaka metro-rail company is planning to assess the extent of reduction in carbon emission due to operation of the country's first metro rail (MRT-6) and claim carbon credit in the international forum.
Officials said the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) is considering the move as the metro rail has been running for almost a year since December 29 last year, and two firms have proposed to help assess the extent of emission.
A survey conducted in 2016 showed that the MRT 6 would help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) by 203,000 tonnes per year which is mainly linked with an expected reduction in using private cars.
The officials, however, made it clear that the reduction in emission, including carbon, has not yet reached the level estimated as the MRT-6 is yet to go for its full operation.
"The MRT-6 is certainly playing a role in reducing the GHG emission. The portion of carbon that the metro would help cut will be assessed and claimed as carbon credit," said an official, preferring not to be named.
Initially, he added, it would be sold in the joint credit market (JCM) due to less scope of selling the credit to the open market - a clean development mechanism (CDM) is yet to be finalised as the global climate change negotiators could not reach a consensus.
The negotiation on carbon mechanism is expected to come up for discussion at the ongoing UN climate change conference in Dubai, UAE.
The idea of the carbon mechanism is that there will be a carbon market where the most polluting countries would be able to buy carbon from the less polluting countries at a certain price.
"The issues of carbon credit will be sorted out and assessed through employing experts or a third party as the DMTCL does not have that expertise yet," said another official.
Analysts said since the MRT 6 opened for commuter use, it has been getting an average of 95,000 passengers daily, much higher than estimated 60,000 passengers per direction per hour.
However, the GHG emission reduction is expected to reach the desired level when the metro rail system would get the private car users as its commuters. The MRT 6 is yet to reach the stage due to being unable to fully operate and encourage car users to use metro rail.
Due to lack of parking facilities at the metro stations as well as shuttle buses or pick-and-drop services in line with stations, car users are mostly reluctant to regularly use the MRT-6, according to passengers.
An ongoing study being conducted by Accident Research Institute of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) finds 60 per cent MRT-6 commuters are bus passengers.
However, the DMTCL officials said the MRT 6 has inspired the commuters to avail the faster and cheaper train services.
According to climate experts, claiming carbon credit from the open market under the clean development mechanism of Kyoto Protocol remained suspended and its fate is likely to be coming from the COP28 through new guidelines.
But the officials said the DMTCL is likely to claim the credit through a bilateral mechanism which is JCM.
As Japan is the main financier and partner in the development of the first elevated metro rail in the city, they said it would be arranged bilaterally to earn the credit by Japan.
JCM is the concept of Japan in order to quantitatively evaluate the contribution of the country in GHG emission reduction and removal which the country tried to achieve through diffusion of decarbonising technologies, products, infrastructures like areas. It already has a partnership with 28 countries.
smunima@yahoo.com