BAH, HUMBUG! END €TS FREEBIES. MAKE POLLUTERS PAY FOR A FAIR AND CLEAN TRANSFORMATION

Final deal on EU carbon market (ETS) gives heavy industry a free pass at the expense of households and taxpayers

The long process that was meant to transform the EU’s Emissions Trading System into an effective tool for climate action has culminated in a final deal that will not reduce Europe’s industrial carbon footprint rapidly enough to tackle the climate crisis. The reformed EU ETS lavishes freebies on polluting industries and leaves households and taxpayers with the bill.

An airplane viewed through skyscrapers.

Time for EU to act on airline emissions as UN aviation agency’s climate ambitions take a nosedive

The International Civil Aviation Organisation’s General Assembly has further weakened CORSIA, its only carbon pricing tool. It is high time that the EU stopped being hostage to ICAO and industry interests and tackles aviation emissions regionally. Aviation emissions account for 2-3% of total global carbon emissions and should be tackled and regulated by the UN’s …

Clearing the fog around heavy industry’s carbon market claims

Ahead of the next trilogue between the EU institutions on the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), scheduled to kick off next week, CMW’s Agnese Ruggiero and WWF’s Camille Maury tackle the misconceptions and bust the myths about the EU’s carbon market’s revision. The current energy crunch and the burning hot summer Europe experienced this year  …

Open safety deposit boxes

Plundering the EU’s carbon market to fight the energy crunch is self-defeating

Raiding the reserve that underpins the EU’s Emissions Trading System to reduce the European Union’s dependence on Russian gas is short-sighted and destructive, especially as far better solutions exist. The Market Stability Reserve (MSR) is an important element of the EU Emissions Trading System. It has proven effective in supporting the carbon price, and helped …

Trilogue triangulation: Mapping the positions of the EU institutions on carbon market reform

As the EU institutions enter into a three-way trilogue on the reform of the Emissions Trading System, we present you with this handy comparative analysis of the options on the table and Carbon Market Watch’s recommendations. Almost a year after the publication of the European Commission’s proposal for the revision of the EU’s Emissions Trading …

Environment ministers weaken Emissions Trading System in a race to the bottom with European Parliament

Rather than correct course after the European Parliament’s shocking abrogation of responsibility, EU environment ministers have lowered the ambition of the EU ETS even further. Moreover, the Environment Council has offered heavy industry billions in generous freebies while leaving households to pay the bill. Last week, MEPs voted on a diluted Emissions Trading System, undermining …

June newsletter editorial: Dramatic week in climate politics shows undercutting ambition is unacceptable

Events followed by more than one member of the CMW team at a time are rare. On the occasion of the European Parliament’s vote on the reform of the EU Emissions Trading System on 8 June, several of us were glued to our screens following the parliamentary proceedings and sharing reactions in an online chat. …

EU Parliament sends carbon market review back to the drawing board

In an unexpected turn of events in the European Parliament, a watered-down carbon market package was rejected by a majority of MEPs. The review of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) Directive was referred back to the Environment Committee and will now overlap with  Member States finalising their position later this month. In Strasbourg …