News

August 20, 2008

Carbon Trading: The EU And The UN Finally Get Their Ducks In A Row

By Ivor Watt

It may not have been widely heralded, but earlier this month it was announced that testing to establish communication between the UN and the European Union carbon registries had been successfully completed. Unheralded, yes, but for the EU’s carbon trading system, and also for several UK-listed companies, vitally important.

Although the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) is the most - indeed the only - established mandatory cap and trade system for carbon emissions in the world, it has been under threat of stalling of late, due to the lack of communication with the UN International Transaction Log. This disconnect was threatening to unhinge the relationship between polluters in the developed world and the creators of carbon credits in the developing world.

But the latest moves mean that carbon emissions reduction...