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.

European Parliament’s compromise vote on EU carbon market compromises our ability to prevent climate breakdown

Despite some progress and a number of hardwon victories for the climate, MEPs on the European Parliament’s environment committee failed to raise the ambition of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to a level that would avoid catastrophic temperature rises.

Carbon removals are no substitute for deep emissions reductions, warns IPCC

Carbon removals will become a vital tool for reducing carbon concentrations in the atmosphere but only massive cuts in emissions will give humanity a fighting chance of keeping global heating to 1.5°C or below, says the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The latest IPCC report, which was released in April, outlines various pathways …

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.

Designing a sound EU carbon market for buildings and transport

We can draw vital lessons from the functioning of the EU’s current Emissions Trading System to expand it to the building and transport sectors in a way that serves the climate and advances social justice. In its current shape, the EU’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is far from perfect. It falls short on overall …

Milking the EU’s carbon market cash cow for industry

Rather than propose amendments to the EU’s Emissions Trading System that would take the heat off the climate and serve society, European parliamentarians are squabbling over the quantity of freebies to offer polluting industries. The process of revamping the EU’s Emissions Trading System is in full swing.  Members of the European Parliament’s Environment Committee have …