Stronger climate action should be the main goal of an EU carbon border tax Dear friends, Tomorrow was supposed to start the count-down to the much-touted “European Green Deal”. The rejection of three Commissioner-candidates by the Europen Parliament means that Ursula von der Leyen’s team is not able to start their work at least before December, but…
EU carbon market unfit to handle coal phase-out Dear friends, A week of climate mobilisations is coming to its end. Ahead of the UN climate summit in New York last Monday, four million people across the globe took to the streets on Friday 20 September to demand that their governments take urgent action to solve the…
BRUSSELS 20 September 2019. The EU carbon market is currently unfit to accommodate national coal phase-outs scheduled in Europe. EU policymakers should combine coal plant closures with the cancellation of pollution permits and strengthen the market stability reserve to absorb more surplus pollution permits off the market. Failing this, the market will be flooded with…
Voters put climate crisis firmly on EU agenda Dear friends, I am delighted to share with you a revamped Carbon Market Watch News. I hope you enjoy the new look, and easily find content that most interests you. I also look forward to receiving any feedback or suggestions! Last weekend, EU citizens turned up at the…
COP24 closed this evening in Katowice, Poland, more than 24 hours later than initially planned. Despite smooth progress at first, negotiations ended in confusion as it proved impossible to find an agreement within the article 6 negotiations, which work to set up two new carbon markets for the post-2020 period. The text presented to all…
Today, the EU Commission released its “Long Term Strategy for a Clean Planet For All”, an ambitious plan for Europe to tackle climate change and fulfill its commitment to the Paris Agreement. Carbon Market Watch welcomes the strategy, in particular the EU Commission’s open support for net-zero emissions by 2050. Of the 8 scenarios outlined…
Editorial Europe’s carbon market reform for the next decade is a done deal, but while the EU’s pollution price has increased in recent weeks, prices are well below what’s needed to reach the Paris climate goals. Meaningful and rising carbon floor prices could provide the necessary push to phase out coal and encourage innovation. The Organisation for…
Editorial The UN’s annual climate talks this year held in Bonn Germany saw moderate progress on implementing the Paris Agreement. However, critical questions on the functioning of future carbon markets remain wide open, making it impossible to assess if they will contribute to the fight against climate change. Meanwhile, the UN’s aviation body is drafting rules for…
BRUSSELS 9 November 2017. Today, the European Parliament, the EU Member States and the Commission reached a provisional agreement on the reform of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) for the 2021-2030 period. The deal falls far short of meeting the Paris climate goals, pointing to the need for additional action at national and…
BRUSSELS 3 November 2017. The next round of UN climate talks takes place in Bonn from 6 to 17 November, under the Fijian Presidency, on how to implement the Paris climate deal. One open question is the role carbon markets will play in meeting global climate targets. Carbon Market Watch will be in Bonn to follow…
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