Publications

Check out the 2025 ICAP Status Report with the latest developments in emissions trading around the world.

The report includes:

🔹 State and outlook of emissions trading worldwide
🔹 Detailed factsheets on every system in operation, under development, and under consideration
🔹 Infographics that visualize the systems' characteristics
 

Emissions trading systems (ETSs) play an important part in many jurisdictions’ mitigation strategies, but their role and design are likely to change over the decades to come. Achieving net-zero emissions by mid-century or soon thereafter is essential to keep global temperatures at safe levels. Consequently, multiple jurisdictions have adopted climate neutrality targets by around mid-century . ETSs can play a central role in this process and have …

This report delves deep into the power sector value chain dynamics, demonstrating how well-designed carbon pricing instruments can be instrumental in helping countries reach their decarbonization goals. Focusing on how decisions are made in diverse power sector models in several developing countries, this report establishes that the CPI must be carefully positioned at the right regulation point in the power sector’s value chain—rather than merely …

Check out the 2024 ICAP Status Report with the latest developments in emissions trading around the world.

The report includes:
🔹 State and outlook of emissions trading worldwide
🔹 Detailed factsheets on every system in operation, under development, and under consideration
🔹 Infographics that visualize the systems' characteristics

This paper explores how the Article 6.2 rules agreed at COP26 could be applied to an international link of two ETSs, including how to account for the changes in emissions, addressing the challenges in determining when changes in emissions occur within an ETS, and options to generate finance for adaptation and “net” mitigation from the link.

Understand the core concept of emissions trading as an instrument to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – from the cap, to how allowances are distributed, who is regulated, how companies manage emissions, and how to run an ETS effectively. 

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Emissions trading systems operate across five continents. From how an ETS sets a clear price on carbon, how it can suit various economic and political contexts, as a source of revenues and additional benefits, understand just what makes emissions trading such an attractive policy instrument.

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Emissions trading is spreading around the world as a key instrument to cost effectively decarbonize economies. What kinds of sectors are covered? How do systems around the world differ from each other? How have systems matured over time? Understand the dynamism and resilience of ETS.

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Learn how linking emissions trading systems creates a larger carbon market, which can provide the participating jurisdictions with more cost-efficient options to reduce their emissions. Understand the different types of linking, why jurisdictions might link their systems, and the links in place around the world.

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In an ETS, covered entities may receive allowances for free from the government or buy them in auctions. Learn about how governments decide to distribute allowances, why allocation matters, the pros and cons of each allocation method, how free allocation can work, and the approaches taken by systems around the world.

Download in English, Chinese, French, Russian or Spanish.