Why are BOKU projects not externally certified (i.e. through CDM)?

The certification of carbon-offset projects involves the compilation and verification of lengthy project documents, which costs significant amounts of money, money subsequently not available for the projects themselves. Depending on the standards applied and the type of project (reforestation, energy efficiency, renewable energy etc.) the transaction costs lie between 50,000 € and 500,000 €. Comparatively small projects and initiatives (particularly) in counties where few projects have been implemented to date, are often unviable because of the volume of certification costs. This has been one of the points of criticism levelled at carbon-offset projects. The BOKU carbon offset system, uses 100% of funds for the projects themselves. The BOKU carbon offset system is administered by the Centre for Global Change and Sustainability, financed by the BOKU. The climate contribution of the projects is secured through quality control criteria and evaluated by the independent advisory board (see, advantages of the BOKU system.)