News & Press
Cement industry made €5 billion in pollution windfall from EU’s carbon market
BRUSSELS 30 November 2016. The European cement sector has earned over 5 billion euros from the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) according to updated windfall calculations taken from 2008-2015. The findings from independent analysts at CE Delft highlight the urgent need to drastically curb the volume of free pollution permits handed out to carbon-intensive…
Read more →
Media advisory: EU climate policy should not be the scapegoat for oversupplied steel market
Updated on 7/11/2016 at 17:50 Media advisory by Carbon Market Watch and Sandbag ahead of European Steel Action Day on 9 November BRUSSELS | LONDON, 7 November 2016. This Wednesday, IndustriAll Trade Union organises a demonstration in Brussels demanding actions against the European steel sector’s economic decline. Some of the unions perceive the EU’s emissions…
Read more →
EU lawmakers fail to fix Europe’s broken carbon market
The position adopted today by the European Parliament’s industry committee on the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) does little to reform the EU’s key climate legislation or to bring it in line with the Paris climate change agreement.
Read more →
New report finds energy intensive industry can cut emissions by 80% without losing competitiveness
– European Union policy – meant to curb pollution – currently gives away more in pollution payouts than for innovation support – Split in industry opinion adds momentum for urgent overhaul of crucial policy currently not “fit for purpose” Brussels 25 May 2016 – New analysis shows that energy intensive industries are able to reduce…
Read more →
EU’s flagship climate instrument used to subsidise coal in Central and Eastern Europe
The EU’s carbon market rules allow Central and Eastern European Member States to invest up to €12 billion in coal powered energy production. As representatives of the EU Member States are due to discuss the EU ETS this Wednesday, the new publication “Fossil fuel subsidies from Europe’s carbon market” adds momentum to the need to overhaul this policy.
Read more →
EU needs to step up domestic climate efforts to deliver on Paris
Brussels 22 April 2016. Today at least 160 countries – and the EU – gather in New York to sign a landmark climate deal with an ambitious target to limit global warming to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels. On this occasion, 23 organisations urge EU leaders to ensure that Europe’s largest climate instrument will be made coherent with the Paris agreement. Other key areas where the EU needs to deliver are the EU Emissions Trading System, and emissions from aviation.
Read more →
EU hands industry €24 billion in pollution windfall
Brussels, 15 March 2016: New analysis shows how industry across Europe has earned a €24 billion windfall from 2008 to 2014, under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS). This is the main policy used across the EU to “cost-effectively”[i] reduce CO2 emissions across industry. The findings in a report ‘Calculation of additional profits of sectors and firms from the EU ETS’, from independent environmental analysts CE Delft, adds momentum to calls from MEPs and campaigners for an overhaul of the policy ahead of the negotiations to revisit the ETS rules this year at EU level.
Read more →
Media Advisory: Carbon leakage myth buster
The concept of “carbon leakage” is a major area of discussion in the legislative proposal to revise the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for the post-2020 period. The Commission’s proposal continues the trend of awarding free allowances, effectively representing a financial subsidy of €160 billion, to heavy emitters without providing evidence for the need of such beneficial treatment. A new Carbon Market Watch policy briefing “Carbon leakage myth buster” brings the ongoing discussions on carbon leakage back to the facts.
Read more →
EU ETS review proposal earmarks €160 billion for Europe’s largest polluters
15 July 2015, Brussels. Today’s publication of the EU Emissions Trading System review proposes to increase pollution subsidies to industry to at least €160 billion after 2020. Carbon Market Watch strongly criticizes the proposal for watering down already weak provisions in the EU ETS directive and ignoring the polluters-pay principle.
Read more →
Media Statement: EU policymakers agree on carbon market fix
6 May 2015, Brussels. European policymakers provisionally agreed to start implementing the reform of the EU’s Emissions Trading System on 1 January 2019 and put the pollution permits that were due to come back to the market by 2020 directly into the new Market Stability Reserve. Carbon Market Watch welcomes this first step to fix the EU’s carbon market but cautions that the upcoming revision of the EU ETS will need to permanently tackle the glut of pollution permits.
Read more →