Today the European Parliament’s Industry Committee (ITRE) failed to reach agreement on the on the Market Stability Reserve (MSR), the Commission’s proposed fix for the oversupplied EU carbon market. This often environmentally conservative committee came very close to...
Category: ETS
Environment Committee steps up ambition in amendments to the Market Stability Reserve proposal
The amendments submitted by ENVI MEPs for the Market Stability Reserve (MSR) reached Sandbag on Friday last week. Relative to the ITRE amendmentsthat came out three week ago many of the ENVI amendments represent a welcome step up in terms of environmental...
European Parliament gives cautious first welcome to carbon market reform
How the political groups are aligned: An overview of ITRE committee amendments to the Market Stability Reserve proposal An overview of the amendments tabled in the ITRE committee,[1] often a difficult venue for environmental concerns, reveals that the need for some...
Is Europe's new climate target a walk in the park?
Sandbag responds to the Environment Agency's 2014 Trends and Projections report. Challenging the limited emissions reductions the Agency expects until 2020 and warning that spare carbon allowances amassed in the EU ETS risk scuppering the 2030 climate target newly...
Annual ETS Report Launch: “Carbon Fatcats” feast on ballooning EU emissions rights
Despite radical changes introduced to the European carbon market in 2013, our new report today reveals that hundreds of millions of excess carbon allowances continue to be issued, with a disproportionate share of these being awarded for free to Europe’s “Carbon...
Sandbag’s response to the Market Stability Reserve Proposal
Recognising the problems with the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, including a vast surplus of carbon allowances, and a continually low carbon price, the European Commission has proposed a Market Stability Reserve to fix the scheme. Sandbag has responded, in this...
Europe’s ten biggest carbon polluters in 2013
Press briefing from 1st April 2014 New data released by the European Commission today for the EU emissions trading scheme reveals the ten largest carbon emitters in Europe for 2013[1]. Five of the ten installations – all of which are coal or lignite fired power...
Growing glut of carbon allowances threatens EU climate ambition
New data arriving fresh on the heels of an alarming new IPCC report on the impacts of climate change finds EU climate policy under growing threat from a burgeoning stockpile of carbon allowances in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).
Poland gets best deal under past carbon targets, report finds
As European leaders meet today to discuss Europe’s next energy and climate framework, Poland is again poised to delay or block efforts to agree a 2030 climate target. But new research conducted by the NGO Sandbag finds that Poland has consistently gained preferential...
Aviation in the Emissions Trading Scheme: What really happened during "Stop the Clock"?
Full report The EU emissions trading scheme (ETS) was originally intended to cover CO2 emissions from all flights arriving and departing from EU airports. Amid fierce opposition and threats of a trade war, Europe temporarily amended the scheme for 2012 to only include...