EU Legislation to Reduce Carbon Emissions from Cars: Intergovernmental or Supranational Policy Making?

This article examines the making and implementation of the 2009 European Union (EU) regulation on cars and CO₂ emissions (Regulation [EC] No 443/2009). As the first legally binding measure to target the CO₂ emissions of passenger cars, this regulation represents a milestone in EU efforts to reduce the climate impacts of road transport. The analysis draws on two central theoretical perspectives on EU policy making: liberal intergovernmentalism and supranationalism. Both offer important insights, but their explanatory power varies with the policy‐making phase in focus. The analysis shows that the Commission and the car industry were instrumental in shaping what eventually became an industry‐friendly regulation applicable in all EU countries. However, far from being a case of closed negotiations between the industry and the Commission, Germany and other EU countries defending the interest of manufacturers of high‐emission vehicles made use of their powers during the decision‐making phase and succeeded in watering down the Commission's proposal.     

ClEARSKIES BY2030

正Cutting carbon emissions has emerged as a key area of Sino-U.S.cooperation There are many topics on which China and the United States differ,but the need to reduce carbon emissions has become a shining example of bilateral cooperation and the future of the relationship between the world’s two largest economies.U.S.President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping on November 12 announced their strongest     

中国与东盟的金融发展对温室气体排放的影响

本文以中国与东盟5国为研究对象，运用面板数据计量分析方法研究了金融发展对于温室气体排放的影响。结果表明，金融开放程度的提升会降低温室气体排放，金融中介的发展有助于降低温室气体排放，但金融市场的发展对于温室气体排放的影响不确定。榻应的政策建议足：提升中国与东盟各国的金融对外开放与合作程度，发挥金融对低碳产业的支持作用，建立起资本市场对环境信息的披露合作机制，促进中国与东盟碳金融市场一体化发展，推进中国与东盟的清洁能源投资合作等。     

基于全域ML指数的区域碳排放绩效研究——以浙江省为例

引入全域生产可能性集合,本文构建全域Malmquist-Luenberger生产率指数,测度了2005—2012年浙江省各地级市在碳排放约束下的生产率增长及其分解。研究发现：整体来说,浙江省各地级市的碳排放绩效平均增长率为2.16%,主要来源于技术进步的推动,管理体制改革对技术效率的促进作用有限,固定资产投资的快速扩张和外贸进出口的下滑对浙江省各地级市的技术进步具有负向影响。深化科技体制和管理体制改革,加快产业结构调整机制创新,大力推广减碳技术,是浙江省各地级市的当务之急。     

Jixian Marriott,Green Inspiration

正Closely neighboring Fujun Park in Jixian County of Tianjin,facing Mount Pan in the North and a stroll away from Cuiping Lake,the Jixian Marriott Hotel is surrounded by luscious green scenery stretching as far as the eye can see.Our hotel offers five-star facilities and was awarded a three-star green construction rating,making it the very first eco-friendly resort in Jixian.At the Jixian Marriott,low-carbon emissions are our goal.With our carbon emission     

The Contours of “Cap and Trade”: The Evolution of Emissions Trading Systems for Greenhouse Gases

This article documents the evolution of “cap and trade” as a policy response to global climate change. Through an analysis of 33 distinct policy venues, the article describes how the cap and trade policy domain has developed along spatial, temporal, and institutional dimensions. This discussion demonstrates that following initial discussions of cap and trade in the Kyoto Protocol negotiations, the idea quickly spread to other policy venues, creating a complex system of multilevel governance, where many questions about how to govern emissions trading remain contested. The analysis contextualizes recent questioning of emissions trading as an appropriate mechanism for controlling GHG emissions, as well as the ongoing debates about who should govern cap and trade and how it should be carried out. The findings highlight the value added of a domain‐level perspective and suggest the need for future research on the sociopolitical nature of cap and trade policy debates.     

European Climate Policy: Toward Centralized Governance?

The EU emissions trading system (ETS) is the first large-scale international emissions trading system and a "cornerstone" in EU climate policy. A key element in the ETS implementation process is deciding upon the ceiling ("cap") for the emissions included in the ETS. Over time, a significant change and centralization of this model has taken place. In order to understand this development, we need to acknowledge the increasing acceptance of stronger centralized governance among the member states due to ETS pilot phase problems; take into consideration frustration in the European Commission over complex and differing National Allocation Plans; and add the fact that the Kyoto Protocol target was getting nearer and a good performance of the "flagship" ETS was becoming increasingly important. Hence, although the case supports the importance of acknowledging the multilevel character of the EU, it still emphasizes the key role of changes in member states' interests and positions for understanding outcomes.     

Kyoto Mechanisms: Key Issues for Policy-makers for COP-6

This article provides an assessment of the "Kyoto mechanisms" – joint implementation, Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and emissions trading established pursuant to Articles 6, 12 and 17 of the Kyoto Protocol. It focuses on significant policy issues raised by supplementarity, liability, equity and the design considerations relevant to operationalizing the mechanisms nationally and internationally.     

Norway and Emissions Trading: From Global Front-Runner to EU Follower

A striking convergence has taken place in the design of the Norwegian and EU greenhouse gas emissions trading systems from 1998 to 2004. This article argues that the Norwegian adaptation to the EU did not take place as a consequence of perceived legal obligations under the European Economic Area agreement. Nor did it take place due to Norwegian actors being persuaded about the merits of the EU design. The main explanation has to do with interests. The EU market and politics are of course generally very important for Norway. However, before the US pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol in 2001, the Norwegian outlook in climate politics was global. The US pull-out accelerated the development and hence the attractiveness of the EU trading system and resulted in EU emissions trading as the most probable and possibly only international market for Norway to link up to. Hence, this analysis provides further support to the importance of being sensitive to the global context and institutional interaction when analyzing the relationship between the EU and its neighboring countries.     

Emissions Rights and their Transferability: Equity Concerns over Climate Change Mitigation

Existing literature on equity considerations for climate change mitigation has largely focused on fair burden-sharing at an inter-national level without adequate attention to equity concerns at the intra-national level. However, disparities between regions and income groups within nations pose perhaps more equity concerns over climate change mitigation than those between nations. While international equity can be agreed upon via political negotiation among nations, the poor in both developed and developing countries may not be guaranteed their fair allocation of emissions rights because the necessary institutional framework has yet to be established at both international and national levels. This paper distinguishes three parts of emissions rights and discusses their transferability in view of equity concerns. The author suggests that basic necessity emissions rights are not transferable and non-necessity emissions are fully marketable, while individual contributions to state are subject to collective decision-making or political manipulation at the international level. The exact share of each of the three parts is subject to further investigation, but unlimited free trading of emissions rights is likely to result in equity concerns at both inter- and intra-national levels. Further examination in quantitative terms would represent an interesting case study for a better understanding of the issue.