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  …

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 …

A compromise too far: Why no deal at the European Parliament was better than a bad deal on EU’s carbon market – Updated

Since the European Parliament’s failure to reach an agreement on the comprehensive reform of the EU Emissions Trading System, MEPs have traded recriminations. However, those claiming that the defeated compromise deal was good for the climate are being disingenuous. Our analysis reveals it would have been catastrophic had it gone through.

Higher carbon prices: Is speculation truly to blame?

The higher carbon prices on the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) of the last three months have caused cross-sectoral concern. Many are placing unsubstantiated blame on speculative trading. But with speculation a minor problem at best, is flooding the market with more carbon allowances a solution or a dangerously reckless move? In the EU, …

How to make the EU’s carbon border tax effective and fair

As the EU steps up its efforts to introduce a Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, it is crucial that policymakers design the CBAM to support deep emission reductions while safeguarding the right of less-privileged countries to develop, writes CMW policy officer Agnese Ruggiero. French President Emmanuel Macron aims to prioritise the completion of the Carbon Border …

A brief explanation of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

Our FAQ on the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). This text is also available as a downloadable PDF. What’s the objective of the EU’s CBAM? How will it work in practice? How do CBAM certificates work? Which sectors and emissions are covered by CBAM?           CMW’s view How are embedded emissions …

How to get ‘Fit for 55’ in shape for the climate emergency

Some EU governments believe the ‘Fit for 55’ package is too ambitious but, in reality, it is not ambitious enough. More action is needed today because tomorrow will be too late to avoid catastrophic global warming, write Agnese Ruggiero and Andrew Marshall. This week, European environment ministers met in Luxembourg to discuss the draft ‘Fit …

New EU ETS: time for steel, cement and chemicals to (be)come clean

The EU carbon market has helped drive down carbon pollution from Europe’s power sector but has failed to do the same for heavy industries such as cement, steel and chemicals. A part of the reason is the free allocation of pollution permits, which means that the industry has little incentive to clean up its act. …