International Conference on Emissions Trading Schemes at ZEW

The Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) and the Australian National University (ANU) jointly organised the conference entitled "The Rise of Emissions Trading in Asia: Established Principles - Novel Practices" in Mannheim on November 12-13, 2012. Some 30 international experts exchanged ideas on current global trends with establishing emissions trading schemes. Developments and the mechanisms of already existing emissions trading schemes as well as upcoming approaches in China, South Korea, and Australia were discussed. The conference was conducted within the framework of the project "Sustainable Partners - Partners for Sustainability: Emerging Emission Trading Schemes in the People’s Republic of China" promoted by Robert Bosch Foundation.

In their introduction, Regina Betz (University of New South Wales), Frank Jotzo (ANU), and Andreas Löschel (ZEW) explained the fundamental principles with trading emission permits on the basis of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) and the planned Australian emissions trading scheme. The presented research results gave the experts the opportunity to draw conclusions on the EU ETS’s mode of operation in the first two trading periods.

Afterwards, the focus was on the Asian approaches to regulate greenhouse gases. Zhang Xiliang (Tsinghua University) gave a preliminary overview on China’s national plans, Qing Tong (Tsinghua University), Wu Libo (Fudan Univeristy), and Qi Shaozhou (Wuhan University) presented the local pilot projects for the emissions trading schemes in Beijing and Shanghai as well as in the province of Hubei. Yong Gun Kim (Korea Environment Institute) and Hojeong Park (Korea University) outlined the planned Korean emissions trading scheme and additional policy instruments. Based on ex-ante studies, they illustrated the overall economic effects of such a system.

In the last session, Christian De Perthuis (Université Paris-Dauphine) spoke about the third trading period of the EU ETS. Denny Ellerman (MIT, European University Institute) discussed perspectives for the future of a global regulation of greenhouse gas emissions on the basis of linked regional emissions trading schemes. Ministerial Counsellor Dirk Weinreich (Federal Ministry of the Environment) concluded the conference with a dinner speech. He explicitly praised the efforts in Asia which he considers a ground-breaking impetus for the future of international climate policy.