In his thesis, Exploring stages/phases and gates as a project management approach for South African clean development mechanism projects, the promovendus states that climate change is a global problem. Various incentive schemes exist to monetise the reduction of greenhouse gases. One such scheme is the United Nations’ Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism. The monetised greenhouse gas offsets are traded as a virtual commodity. Very few of these projects currently exist in South Africa compared to other developing countries due to project complexities. The first aim of this research was to investigate the state-of-the-art status of current project management approaches followed in South Africa. Secondly, a stage/phase-gate model was developed to aid in managing these projects, their risks and to manage a portfolio of projects. The long term goal of the research is to aid in positioning South Africa to ensure that all possible revenue streams are obtained during the transition to a green economy.