Evolving Carbon Markets and Climate Policy Instruments

Nowadays, climate change is an international challenge alarming not only scientists, but also being recognised by all major countries and economies world wide. Policy makers in the EU, Japan, Australia, North America and most emerging and developing economies are dedicated to tackle climate change and minimise its negative effects.

It is certain that the Kyoto Protocol and the numerous national climate policies that have been implemented so far are only the beginning. On the international level, politicians are working intensively to install an effective and efficient successor of the Kyoto Protocol, with more demanding emission targets than today. On national levels, existing climate policy programmes are being developed and expanded further, considering practical experiences with past and current programmes.

Perspectives’ Business Unit Climate Policy Advice offers its support both to policy makers in analysing existing systems and developing them further, and to the industry in adapting to new legislative frameworks and in optimising corporate response. Doing so, Perspectives benefits from its sustained experience in this field. Our staff has followed the complex decision-making processes in climate policy since 1994 from the scientific point of view as well as from the corporate perspective.

Many of our team members worked in the Research Programme “International Climate Policy” at the Hamburg Institute for International Economics (HWWA) before joining Perspectives. Other staff has worked for the German Environment Ministry (BMU), where it gained an in-depth understanding of the policy making process and its drivers. Besides that, Perspectives has consulted private players on numerous topics and supported them in preparing for the implementation of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Hence, Perspectives’ staff learned extensively about the needs and decision-making processes in the industry.

 

Perspectives’ Business Unit Climate Policy Advice offers inter alia:

• Evaluation of policy measures and comparison of alternative climate  policy instruments,
• The potential and limits of benchmarking as a climate policy instrument,
• Evaluation of and design options for sectoral approaches – such as sectoral crediting and sectoral trading,
• Further development of rules for CDM and JI,
• Incentives for private sector engagement in climate policy frameworks,
• Implementation and linking of emission trading schemes,
• CDM Capacity Building Programmes,
• Assistance in international negotiations and national strategies for the set-up of a CDM-infrastructure, and
• In-depth studies on a large variety of other topics, such as the economic impact of climate policy scenarios on different sectors as well as the prospects for future cooperation in climate policy measures

 

 

 

Project Name	Client	Project Description	Location	Duration
Potential and challenges of benchmarking in the CDM	Department for International Development (DFID)	Analysis of the potential of benchmarking approaches under the CDM with a view to reduced its transaction costs and simplifying additionality analysis. Case studies on selected sectors and industries.	international	2009-2010
Support in DNA set up	Saudi Arabia	Supporting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in establishing an efficient and effective DNA. Establishment of draft rules and procedures, DNA organisation and support in national and international promotion activities.	Saudi Arabia	2009-2011
Additionality Study	international utility (confidential)	Establishing a confidential report of additionality determination in the CDM, including case studies	international	2009
PoA Blueprint II	KfW Bankengruppe	Update of the PoA blueprint book established in 2008 expansion with case studies	international	2009-2010
Review of World Future Council`s proposal on a REP-Fund	World Future Council	Review of a proposal of the WFC to establish a REP-Fund for supporting renewable energy projects beyond the CDM	international	2009
Climat policy in Indonesia	EcoPerspectives	Analysis of policy and sectoral CDM - opportunities for Indonesia	Indonesia	2009
Sectoral approaches in the post-2012 regime	Bundesumwelt- Ministerium	Study on the potential and implementation options of sectoral approaches in the post-2012 climate policy regime	international	2009-2010
Vattenfall Seller's Handbook	Grue Hornstrup	Contribution to Vattenfall's Handbook for CER-Sellers: chapters on CDM-Market Trends and ERPAs	international	2009
PoA Blueprint	KfW Banken- gruppe	Analysis of chances for PoAdevelopment in the sectors lighting, household stoves, industrial boilers, solar water heating, domestic biogas and building refurbishment	international	2008
CDM Plattform Latin America	German Environment Ministry	Continuation and further enhancement of the CDM Plattform Latin America	Germany, Latin America	2008 - 2009
GTZ CDM Highlights	GTZ	Writing of GTZ´s monthly newsletter "CDM Highlights"	international	2008 - 2009
German Emissions Trading Group 2009	Adelphi Research	Supporting and consulting the German Emissions Trading Group ("Arbeitsgruppe Emissionshandel, AGE") with a focus on CDM/JI	Germany	2005 - 2009
Future CDM: how to design the CDM to achieve global GHG reductions	German Environmental Protetion Agency	Study on CER- discounting, ambitious baselines, shortening of crediting periods, and voluntary retirement of CERs as options to establish a CDM with effective GHG reductions	international	2008 - 2010
CDM and the waste sector	German Environment Ministry / BIFA	Study on the role of the waste sector in the CDM, current approaches and rules, as well as potential for optimization	international	2008 - 2009
CDM Post 2012 Study	DEFRA	Study on the CDM Post 2012 - regulative framework and market developments.	international	2008
CDM in the building sector	GTZ	Presentation of status of CDM projects in the building sector.	Tunisia	2008
CDM in China - Study	World Bank	Contribution to World Bank's Study on CDM in China - chapter on current status of CDM market.	China	2007 - 2008
CDM Information Services	Point Carbon	Information Services on the status quo of the CDM framework, including analysis of decisions of the CDM EB and other relevant bodies.	International	2008
CDM in China	World Bank	Contribution to the World Bank's CDM-China-Study: writing chapter on "International Carbon Market and CDM-supply and -demand".	China	2007
CDM Guide Book 2007	DEFRA	Development of a CDM guide book that summarises relevant CDM rules and explains approved methodologies.	International	2007- 2008
UNFCCC - 2007	German Environment Ministry	Support with UNFCCC-negotiations during German EU-Presidency. Focus at SB-26: Demonstrable Progress Reports, Art. 6 of the Convention, Mitigation Workshops	international	2007
Economic chances of climate policy	German Ministry for the Environment	Analysis of economic chances and risks to German business due to climate change policy	Germany	2006 - 2007
CDM plattform Latin America	German Ministry for the Environment	Development and improvement of communication channels between relevant CDM actors. Design of an internet platform to facilitate information exchange among German and Latin American stakeholders.	Latin America	2006 - 2007
CRIEPI II	Central Research Institute of the Electric Power Industry| Hamburg Institute of International Economics	Evaluation of the submission and approval process of energy efficiency CDM methodologies.	international	2005 - 2006
CCS in the CDM	Confidential	Analysis of eligibility of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in the CDM	international	2005 - 2006
Munich Climate Insurance Initiative*	Germanwatch	Options for insuring climate-related damages in developing countries (www.climate-insurance.org)	international	2005 - 2006
Effects of climate change on Alps	Germanwatch	Knowledge synthesis on climate change effects in the European Alps	EU	2004 - 2005
Adaptation to increasing sea levels	Germanwatch	Case studies on adaption to climate-change: sea level-rise in the Netherlands and in Bangladesh	The Netherlands| Bangladesh	2004 - 2005
Development of CDM project database*	German Ministry for the Environment	Development of criteria to evaluate quality of German JI/CDM projects	international	2003 - 2005
Bhutan technical assistance	Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), The Netherlands	Technical assistance to climate change studies in Bhutan in particular support in domestic vulnerability assessments.	Bhutan	2003 - 2004
Point Carbon - Information Services	Point Carbon	CDM market and policy analysis.	international	2003- ongoing
CDM Guide	International food processing company	Establishment of guidelines for in-house CDM and JI project identification and development for one of the largest international food processing companies (in cooperation with EUtech)	international	2006
HEW - cooperation*	Hamburg Electricity Company (now: Vattenfall Europe) and HWWA	Consulting on German and international climate policies with a focus on emissions trading and the Kyoto Mechanisms and implications on energy industries.	Germany	2000 - 2003
PROBASE*	EU Commission, DG Environment	PROBASE (Procedures for accounting and baselines for projects under Joint Implementation and the Clean Development Mechanism) provided recommendations to policy makers on how to operationalise and standardise baseline determination for JI and CDM projects.	international	2001 - 2002
Potential of Kyoto Mechanisms*	Volkswagen AG	Analysis of different options for the use of the Kyoto Mechanisms in German climate policy and identification of new business segments and products for VW.	Germany	2000
Kyoto Mechanisms Expert Network (KEEN)*	EU Commission, DG Research	Establishment of an international network of specialists in the area of the Kyoto Mechanisms (private sector, governments, universities, NGOs and supra-national organisations)	EU	2000 - 2002
National Strategy Study (NSS) on CDM*	Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)	Assistance to Indonesian writing team in evaluation of international CDM rules, assessment of market potential of Indonesia and its marginal abatement costs as well as institutional requirements for CDM.	Indonesia	2000 - 2001
Linking development aid and CDM projects*	Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW)	Study on interpretation of “diversion” of development assistance through CDM projects	international	2000
National criteria and institutions for CDM projects*	Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)	Study on national criteria and institutions for CDM projects in Morocco.	Morocco	2000