A collection of twelve superbly written contributions by leading researchers and scientists on greenhouse gas emissions trading by members of the European Union, as well as alternatives and new developments in this specialized area of global warming and reduction related commercial exchange. . . a seminal and strongly recommended work of particular relevance and value for both academic and governmental reference library collections on international environmental studies. Midwest Book Review This timely book focuses on the EU-wide greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme for major sources. It combines legal and economic approaches and reviews the major revision of this scheme. A distinguished range of authors assess the experiences thus far and also consider future development from both theoretical and practical perspectives. They also discuss many design options, including auctioning, credit and trade, the inclusion of aviation emissions, and linking possibilities. Moreover, attention is paid to the role of legal principles, the role of case law, and to aspects of democratic accountability within an emissions trading scheme. Ways to avoid carbon leakage and the role of national climate policies are also discussed. This book makes clear that the economic efficiency and effectiveness of an emissions trading scheme depend to a large extent on the specific legislative choices, and hence the legislative design of such a scheme deserves meticulous attention. Discussing legal and economic aspects of emissions trading, this book offers new insights to academics and policy makers both in the public and private sector. Those insights are not only relevant for understanding the past, but moreover for guiding the future design of emissions trading for greenhouse gases.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. The European Union¿s (EU) ETS is a cornerstone of the EU¿s efforts to meet its obligation under the Kyoto Protocol. It covers more than 10,000 energy intensive facilities across the 27 EU Member countries. A ¿Phase 1¿ trading period began 1/1/05. A second, Phase 2, trading period began in 2008. A Phase 3 will begin in 2013 designed to reduce emissions by 21% from 2005 levels. Contents of this report: (1) Overview; (2) Results from Phase 1 and 2; (3) Phase 3: Auctions; New Entrant Reserves; Decision on Eligible Industries; Flexibility Mechanisms and Price Volatility Control; Expanding Coverage; (4) U.S. Cap-and-Trade Proposals: Emission Inventories and Target Setting; Coverage; Allocation Schemes; Flexibility and Price Volatility. Illustrations.

The issue of climate change is now widely recognised as one of the major challenges for mankind in the 21st century, not only because it may ultimately affect many areas of our environment, nature and human activity but also because its mitigation may have far reaching consequences for almost all sectors of the economy where energy conversion takes place. Although climate change is firmly positioned on the political agenda and some initial targets have been agreed within a global framework, we are still far away from a mature political and practical policy which may deliver timely and appropriate results .to tum the tide. This is partly due to the complex nature of a possible global climate change regime, the still early stage of the development of effective and efficient instruments and the wide variety of possible ramifications for individual countries and economic sectors. But it is also due to the complexity of the negotiation process, and the lack of effective international or even global governance and leadership to tackle a multi-dimensional problem of this size and nature. This book is the first broad attempt to address the issue of leadership by one of the major parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in the ongoing international debate and negotiations towards such a policy which inevitably has to be constructed on a global scale.

The European Union (EU) has emerged as a leading governing body in the international struggle to govern climate change. The transformation that has occurred in its policies and institutions has profoundly affected climate change politics at the international level and within its 27 Member States. But how has this been achieved when the EU comprises so many levels of governance, when political leadership in Europe is so dispersed and the policy choices are especially difficult? Drawing on a variety of detailed case studies spanning the interlinked challenges of mitigation and adaptation, this volume offers an unrivalled account of how different actors wrestled with the complex governance dilemmas associated with climate policy making. Opening up the EU's inner workings to non-specialists, it provides a perspective on the way that the EU governs, as well as exploring its ability to maintain a leading position in international climate change politics.

Rafael Leal-Arcas expertly examines the interface of climate change mitigation and international trade law with a view to addressing the question: How can we make best use of the international trading system experience to aim at a global climate change agreement? The insightful book contributes to developing the architecture for a post- 2012 global climate agreement and, in doing so, seeks and proposes new approaches to climate change mitigation by linking it to the international trade system. The author suggests the adoption of a bottom-up approach to climate change negotiations by using the evolution of multilateral trade agreements as a model for reaching a global climate treaty. He discusses the innovative approach of inserting climate goals within regional trade agreements, given their proliferation – especially bilateral – in the international trading system. He explains the trade implications of climate change mitigation policies by analyzing a couple of areas where the international regimes for trade and climate change mitigation may potentially clash. Climate Change and International Trade will strongly appeal to undergraduate and graduate students of international and European trade law, international and European environmental law as well as social science academics. NGOs, think tanks, practitioners, researchers, and international organizations will also find plenty of valuable information in this timely resource.

Climate change brings about a new set of major economic risks arising from changing weather patterns, extreme weather events and rising sea levels. Most at risk are developing countries who, despite considerable post-disaster donor aid, have been bearing the major brunt of disaster-related losses. One adaptation solution that is rapidly gaining the support of countries and international donors is a risk transfer to the global reinsurance and capital markets.This volume, a special issue of the journal Climate Policy, explores the role that insurance-based mechanisms can play in helping developing countries prepare for climate change. It offers a unique and comprehensive perspective on the potential role of insurance solutions in global adaptation to climate change and attempts to engender debate on the role of insurance in reducing global emissions and encouraging climate-friendly corporate behaviour.

A significant volume of literature already exists concerning the inclusion of aviation in the EU-ETS. Most of the research laid its focus on specific industry levels such as the individual airline, the aviation industry in general or macroeconomic aspects. In this context, these studies tried to anticipate market reactions triggered by the EU-ETS by analyzing specific issues such as the financial impact on airlines, changes in competitive behavior or implications for the overall industry development. As a consequence, the existing studies took only a limited market view and made assumptions about expected developments in specific fields of the aviation industry. However, at the time of writing this thesis, conclusions about the scope of impact could hardly be drawn from existing impact assessments because of the wide range of issues that exceeded the scope of most impact studies. Hence, a broader research approach is needed which takes different analytical perspectives to describe the scope of impact of the EU-ETS and depict potential effects for the aviation industry.

This book focuses on the linking of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) with other independent regional ETS. While rich practical and academic research has evolved on the economic and technical side of ETS linking, political drivers and barriers have so far been underrepresented in this debate. Filling this lacuna and based on international relations theory, existing research and qualitative fieldwork, this book introduces the range of political conditions that influence linking, such as political leadership and stakeholder activity. Specifically, it analyzes which of these aspects have played a role in three different linking activities of the EU: (1) a failed linking attempt: EU ETS–California Cap-and-Trade Program; (2) a successful linking treaty: EU ETS–Switzerland Emissions Trading System; and (3) an agreed-upon but not realized link: EU ETS–Australia Carbon Pricing Mechanism. Through an interrogation of these examples, Dr. Unger concludes that it is not only the technical challenges or the overall economic benefit but rather domestic interests, structural aspects, and external international political developments that have jointly dominated linking activities, especially those in which the EU takes part. This book will be of great interest to scholars and policy-makers working in climate policy and EU environmental politics.

The European Union (EU) aims to put Europe on track toward a low-carbon economy. In this striking challenge, the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) has been singled out as the Union’s key climate policy instrument, ultimately aimed as a model for a global carbon market. The learning effect of the EU ETS could thus be tremendous. This study explores how the EU ETS actually works on the ground, affecting corporate climate strategies. It covers general sector responses as well as systematic comparative studies of companies across the sectors. The latter enables improved understanding of causal effects and the role of interaction between different policy instruments and other factors that impact corporate climate strategies. The study explores a broad set of mechanisms at play potentially linking the EU ETS to company climate strategies. These include how corporate norms of responsibility are affected by the EU ETS and how economic incentives provide opportunities for innovation. The book’s main contribution lies in its systematic examination of corporate responses to the EU ETS from a broad empirical and analytical social science perspective covering companies in all main EU ETS sectors: electric power, oil, cement, steel and pulp and paper.

'Emission markets are crucial both to provide the right incentives to reduce GHG emissions and to fund investments necessary for a transition to a low carbon world. Emission markets however cannot achieve these objectives if inappropriately designed. This book is a novel and fresh attempt to look at the real functioning of the EU Emission Trading Scheme and to assess its effectiveness and inconsistencies, its positive and negative impacts on industrial and financial markets. With the overall objective to improve its design and performance.' Carlo Carraro, University of Venice, Italy '. . . this important book has the great achievement of addressing a complicated and socially highly debated issue of how society could be given optimal incentives for emission reductions from a legal and economic perspective. Moreover, it not only addresses the various issues from a theoretical perspective, but provides important empirical evidence on the working of emissions trading as well. The book will undoubtedly have important lessons not only at the theoretical level, but also for policy makers interested in improving the effectiveness of emission trading schemes.' From the foreword by Michael Faure This unique and up-to-date book analyses the functioning of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and assesses the extent to which relevant legislation has affected its capacity to promote cost-effective reduction of European carbon emissions. The author investigates whether inefficiency has been caused by both the ETS cap setting procedure and by the ETS relevant allocation rule, as defined by Directive 2003/87/EC. He then considers whether the new Directive 2009/29/EC, which reforms the ETS institutional design, is likely to improve the scheme's effectiveness by reducing the risk of carbon leakage which could potentially be a consequence of implementing a unilateral policy across the asymmetric political landscape of Europe. This well-documented book will appeal to researchers and postgraduate students in environmental law and environmental economics, as well as policymakers within environment, industry and economics, and electric and industrial operators and stakeholders. Environmental NGOs, energy and environmental consulting groups, members of the European Commission, and energy and environmental think-tanks will also find much to interest them in this insightful book.