When is a REC not an offset?
Renewable energy certificates (RECs, green tags or green certificates) represent the quantified non-emissions of a clean form of energy – as measured by how many tonnes of a regulated pollutant would have been emitted in creating that energy from a non-clean form. Those non-emissions are called 'environmental attributes'.
Offsets and Olympics
British Columbia is blazing a trail with its government's pledge to go carbon neutral, and in the development of carbon offset standards. Barbara Hendrickson, Marty Venalainen and Rosanne Van Schie explain
CAIR reinstatement revives emissions markets
US emission markets were brought back to life after judges agreed to a limited reprieve of the Clean Air Interstate Rule (CAIR). Allowance prices jumped as speculators and utilities entered the market, but bearish fundamentals have since brought them back down to earth.
Zurich unveils carbon capture and storage insurance
Zurich Financial Services has launched insurance products to cover capturing and storing carbon underground, in a bid to address a major barrier to the uptake of the technology.
Bush administration abandons plans to loosen NSR
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has dropped a proposal that would have allowed some existing power plants to expand without installing new pollution controls, surprising environmentalists who have battled for years against the planned rule change.
A chill wind blowing
The renewable energy sector was late to feel the cold hand of the credit crisis – but financiers and REC traders are braced for a chillier 2009. Jess McCabe talks to the renewable energy winners of Environmental Finance's Market Survey
Waiting on the judges
The striking down of the Clean Air Interstate Rule has thrown the US emissions markets into confusion. Gloria Gonzalez finds the winners of Environmental Finance's market survey anxiously awaiting resolution
Shelter from the storm
The financial crisis has seen some speculative money leaving the weather market. But plenty of end-user deals are still being done, reports Christopher Cundy
Keeping the love affair sweet
Economists and environmentalists have become increasingly frequent bed-fellows, as the world turns to markets to address environmental challenges. But, as David Runnalls argues, both parties need to work at the relationship
Designing it right
Joe Nation, co-author of California's landmark global warming legislation, and Roger Noll give their advice to the state's regulators as they grapple with crucial elements of the emissions trading scheme's design