European People’s Party fails people and climate in its proposals for the Industrial Emissions Directive

Environmental and climate NGOs are expressing concern and frustration today in reaction to a report on the revision of EU industrial pollution laws. Instead of demonstrating that the times of ‘polluting as usual’ are over, the proposals submitted by Radan Kanev of the European People’s Party (EPP) completely ignore the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED)’s aim …

Decarbonising cement: Options for reforming the EU’s Emissions Trading System

Cement production is one of the largest and most carbon-intensive sectors in the European Union. The industry emits 114 megatonnes of carbon dioxide each year. To ensure the EU achieves climate neutrality well before 2050, it is necessary to drastically reduce emissions
in the cement sector. The EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is the key instrument for incentivising emissions reduction in energy-intensive sectors, such as cement, but it has been underperforming compared with its potential. The ongoing revision of the system is a crucial opportunity to strengthen the EU ETS

Abandoned factory in Liege, Belgium.

October newsletter editorial: Decarbonisation is not deindustrialisation

At Carbon Market Watch, we seek to decarbonise society, not to deindustrialise it, out of a conviction that our future prosperity depends on our ability to live within the planet’s limits, for the good of society, for the good of nature and, ultimately, for the long-term good of businesses themselves. We went on a tour …

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.

April newsletter editorial: Panel debate on ETS comes straight from polluter’s pocket

In a democratic debate, should everyone get an equal say or should those with money be given a soapbox and loudhailer? The answer to this question is obvious, yet it appears to have eluded Politico Europe, one of the main players on the Brussels media stage.

Net-zero pipe dreams: Carbon-neutral fossil fuel claims amount to greenwashing

A new Carbon Market Watch report thoroughly investigates the growing number of fossil fuels that are being marketed as “carbon neutral” and concludes that they amount to brazen greenwashing. Published ahead of the COP26, the document challenges governments and industry to halt greenwashing practices and commit to binding fossil fuel phaseouts. Today, Carbon Market Watch …

Carbon Market Watch Newsletter – May 2021

Time to tackle the thorny issues at UN carbon market talks  Next week, UN negotiators continue the talks on the Paris Agreement’s Article 6 which lays the foundation for future global carbon markets. It is the last open element of the so-called Paris Rulebook to implement the global climate deal. Political leaders have failed to …

Steel, cement and chemicals industries key to the clean transition 

The International Energy Agency outlines a path to a fossil-free future The International Energy Agency calls for an immediate stop to investments in and production of fossil fuels. For heavy industry decarbonisation, the “Net Zero by 2050” report relies too much on unproven technologies like carbon capture and storage. But it nevertheless sends a strong …

Four key issues to watch in the EU’s carbon market reform

This opinion piece was first published on Euractiv on 15 April 2021 EU carbon market emissions experienced a record fall last year, but when it comes to heavy industry, the effect is likely to be short-lived, writes Agnese Ruggiero. The latest EU carbon market emissions data released by European Commission on April 1 was not …

A New Hope – Recommendations for the EU Emissions Trading System review

Update 12/04/2021: Adjustments to the infographics “EU carbon emissions” and “The effect of a one-off EU ETS cap reduction” Executive summary With total greenhouse gas emissions of around 700 million tonnes per year, resource and energy-intensive industry is the third-largest climate polluter in Europe. The cement, chemical and steel sectors alone are responsible for almost …