Blog posts
ENVI VOTE on Phase IV ETS reform
Today’s ENVI committee vote on the EU ETS reached a last minute compromise on changes for the Phase IV of the system. The vote failed to create a well functioning market, instead binding the EU ETS to an unrealistic path inconsistent with both effective carbon pricing...
Rebasing the EU ETS cap won't increase uncertainty
Sandbag has proposed rebasing the starting level of the cap under Phase 4 of Europe’s Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to reflect actual emissions in 2020.This is the most appropriate reform option for addressing the immediate imbalance between supply and demand in...
CCU-fuels are not renewable
30th NOVEMBER UPDATE The Commission published its proposals for the Renewable Energy Directive today as part of the EU's Winter Package. You can read them here. Disappointingly, a loophole that allows non-renewable CCU-fuels to contribute to the EU renewables target...
Paris means negative emissions
Brexit may mean Brexit, but Paris means negative emissions. Today, as the global agreement enters into force, governments and civil society must act in concert to deploy carbon negative technology. If governments worldwide are serious in their Paris Agreement plans...
Dispelling the waterbed myth
Additional actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are being taken across the EU in sectors covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). These include implementing energy efficiency programmes, deploying renewables, replacing lignite and coal plants with...
The EUETS is being undermined by falling coal generation
Coal power generation has fallen fast. The reasons are nothing to do the EUETS. The fall in coal is a major reason that the carbon price is so low. And this means the rest of the EUETS is getting an easy ride. This threatens the integrity of the whole EUETS. We...
Cement Exposed: New data shows no fall in CO2 emissions
Increasing CO2 intensity: Data from the Cement Sustainability Initiative shows that the carbon intensity of EU cement increased from 2008 to 2014. No carbon leakage: Since 2011, the EU cement sector has vastly increased exports of cement clinker outside the EU,...
Weak global agreement on aviation means EU must act
Today, the first ever global agreement on aviation and climate change was decided upon in Montreal. The impressive achievement in forging an agreement between 191 nations should not overshadow the fact that aviation emissions remain effectively uncapped. Today’s...