Canada’s industry should support carbon pricing, not fight it

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

First published on Carbon Pulse on 24 April 2019 The Canadian industry associations’ claims about the negative impact of carbon pricing on jobs and competitiveness are exaggerated and lack empirical evidence. Pollution pricing incentivizes companies to innovate, which will be necessary to guarantee their competitiveness in the long-term. Six months before the Canadian federal election, …

Read more “Canada’s industry should support carbon pricing, not fight it”

Existing UN carbon credits will do nothing to offset aviation industry pollution, new Nature study finds

by Gilles DufrasneAviation, Global marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

A new paper published in Nature Climate Change confirms that relying on outdated Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) carbon credits to compensate aviation emissions will do nothing for climate action. You can read the full paper here (paywall): Warnecke et al. (2019): “Robust eligibility criteria essential for new global scheme to offset aviation emissions”, Nature Climate …

Read more “Existing UN carbon credits will do nothing to offset aviation industry pollution, new Nature study finds”

Better pricing of aviation emissions in the EU is needed, and the Netherlands is championing it

by Gilles DufrasneAviationPosted on Comments are Disabled

Aviation emissions have increased by 10% in Europe between 2014 and 2017, according to the 2019 Aviation Environmental Report, as efficiency improvements are not keeping up with  growth of demand. Last week, the Dutch finance minister invited other European Member States to consider the implementation of a European carbon tax for aviation, and announced an …

Read more “Better pricing of aviation emissions in the EU is needed, and the Netherlands is championing it”

Deutschland: Kohleausstieg muss mit Annullierung von Emissionslizenzen einher gehen, um den CO2 Preis zu stützen

by Gilles DufrasneEU carbon marketPosted on Comments are Disabled

Die deutsche Kohlekommission, beauftragt mit der Prüfung der Realisierbarkeit des Kohleausstiegs in Deutschland, veröffentlichte Ende Januar ihren Bericht, mit dem das Land auf Kurs gebracht wird, bis 2038 kohlefrei zu sein. Der progressiven Kohleausstieg, den der Plan vorsieht, ermöglicht Deutschland, seine Emissionsziele in der Energiebranche bis 2030 zu erfüllen, nachdem offiziell bestätigt wurde, dass das …

Read more “Deutschland: Kohleausstieg muss mit Annullierung von Emissionslizenzen einher gehen, um den CO2 Preis zu stützen”

What does the current standstill in carbon market talks mean for the future?

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

It’s been a month since the closing gavel fell on COP24 in Katowice, Poland. Negotiations on the rules that will govern international climate policy over the coming decades -commonly known as the “Paris rulebook” were supposed to be agreed in full during this session. However as the talks ran into overtime and countries could not …

Read more “What does the current standstill in carbon market talks mean for the future?”

Davos: Global leaders must fight inequality through carbon pricing

by Gilles Dufrasne2050 climate strategiesPosted on Comments are Disabled

World leaders are gathering once again in Davos this week for the World Economic Forum, under the theme of “Globalization 4.0”, a reference to the fourth industrial revolution brought about by digital technologies. Climate Change and environmental concerns such as water shortages and air quality are continuing to grow in importance, and dominate the ranking …

Read more “Davos: Global leaders must fight inequality through carbon pricing”

COP24 overshadowed by market failure as countries fail to agree on basic accounting principles and the future of the CDM

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal markets, Human rights in climate action, Sustainable developmentPosted on Comments are Disabled

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 …

Read more “COP24 overshadowed by market failure as countries fail to agree on basic accounting principles and the future of the CDM”

EU Member States resist aviation industry pressure to weaken climate regulation

by Gilles DufrasneAviation, EU carbon market, Global marketsPosted on Comments are Disabled

This week, European Member States agreed on a common position regarding the future implementation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) new carbon market, set to start operating in 2021. The creation of a new offsetting mechanism for aviation, the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), was agreed as part of a …

Read more “EU Member States resist aviation industry pressure to weaken climate regulation”

New IPCC report shows 1.5C° is still possible, but more needed from aviation and shipping

by Gilles Dufrasne2050 climate strategies, Aviation, ShippingPosted on Comments are Disabled

This week, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a leading climate science body, has published a report on the scientific evidence relating to 1.5C° global warming. The report shows that it is still possible to limit warming to 1.5C° and avoid dangerous climate change. Reaching this goal, however, would require rapid and large-scale climate …

Read more “New IPCC report shows 1.5C° is still possible, but more needed from aviation and shipping”

UN market negotiations: Will we learn from the past?

by Gilles DufrasneGlobal markets, Human rights in climate action, Sustainable developmentPosted on Comments are Disabled

The divide between countries on key elements of the new UN carbon markets have become apparent at the last UNFCCC session which closed last week in Bangkok. Open questions around the transition of old markets and how to ensure that carbon offsets do not water down climate ambition are set to continue during COP24, when major rules of the Paris Rulebook are expected to be finalised in December in Katowice, Poland.