How effective will the EU’s largest post-2020 climate tool be? Introduction The Climate Action Regulation (CAR), also known as the Effort Sharing Regulation, is Europe’s tool to reduce the climate impact of sectors not covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). Covering 60% of the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the law sets…
Cities and regions are critically important for meeting and overachieving Europe’s climate targets. More than a third of the EU’s 2020 climate target will be delivered by cities, equivalent to 240 million tonnes of CO2 emission reductions (JRC, 2016).
Executive Summary Putting a price on carbon, based on the polluter pays principle, has the potential to be a powerful policy tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the fight against climate change. A carbon price can come in the form of a tax or a cap and trade system. With a tax, the price of polluting…
FOREWORD 2016 was a year that shook the world and the European Union in particular. The new hope for multilateral climate cooperation under the 2015 Paris agreement received a blow with the election of a climate denier to the White House. The European Union, as an ongoing project for peace and prosperity, was shaken by a Brexit referendum…
The Paris Agreement marks a new era for international climate action in general, and specifically for international carbon markets. Though the agreement does not mention markets per se, Article 6 paragraph 4 establishes what has become to be known as the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) which builds on and shares some features of the Kyoto flexible mechanisms namely the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI).
The 2015 Paris Agreement, which sets out the framework for global climate action after 2020, includes the establishment of the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM). The goals of the SDM are to promote higher ambition that contributes to emission reductions and sustainable development, and deliver an overall mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions.
EU Member States are currently negotiating Europe’s key legislation for climate action, known as the Effort Sharing Regulation. Covering 60% of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions, the law will set binding national emission reduction targets for the 2021-2030 period for sectors such
as transport, buildings, agriculture and waste. In July 2016, the European Commission published the proposal for an Effort Sharing Regulation setting the basis for negotiations between EU ministers and Members of the European Parliament.
This guide aims to build knowledge and understanding of the EU’s Effort Sharing Regulation for civil society organizations who have little or no prior experience with EU climate policies. It provides introductory knowledge on how the EU ETS is designed and how it functions. Increased awareness should ultimately empower civil society to get involved in the ETS process.
The Paris Agreement represents a new era for international climate action, including for international carbon markets. Humans have emitted so much into the atmosphere that even if compensated, very little can still be emitted to limit serious consequences of climate change. 2°C of warming would have very negative effects, which is why it is important to swiftly work towards the Paris goal of the 1.5°C limit. If carbon markets are to help work towards this goal, they must work to rapidly increase ambition and guarantee high environmental integrity.
Executive Summary On October 6th, Member States of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) agreed on an offsetting scheme to compensate for emissions growth from 2020 levels. The new scheme, called the Carbon Offset and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), falls short of achieving the goal of carbon neutral growth in 2020 (CNG2020), let…
Carbon pricing 
International transport 
Climate governance 
Fair climate action