On 15 February 2017, ICAP launched the Status Report 2017 with a public webinar discussing the latest developments and key issues in emissions trading this year. Following an introduction to the Report, Damien Meadows from the European Commission presented on the post-2020 reform of the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) following the vote of the European Parliament earlier that day. Then Heather Pearson from the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Climate Change reported on the development of Ontario’s cap-and-trade program and its launch at the beginning of the year. Lois New from the Office of Climate Change at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation provided insight into the review of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), a multi-state ETS consisting of nine Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic States. To conclude, Meng Bingzhan from Sinocarbon outlined China’s pathway from seven regional ETS pilots to the launch of a national ETS later this year, establishing the world’s largest carbon market.
On 22 February 2017, ICAP held a second webinar with Jakub Zielkiewicz from the California Air Resources Board who took listeners through California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan, which includes several policy options for the state to reach its 2030 target of reducing emissions 40% below 1990 levels. Following this, Chen Zhibin from Sinocarbon enumerated five key milestones for China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) before the launch of its national ETS in the second half of this year. The ICAP Secretariat also gave an update on ETS reviews being held in the EU, RGGI and New Zealand.