Linking the European Union Emissions Trading System

Charlotte Unger is a senior research associate at the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Germany. She acquired her PhD in political sciences from the Technical University of Munich and has previously worked for various research institutions and think tanks such as the Technical University Berlin, Environmental Action Germany, and the International Carbon Action Partnership.

• 1. Introduction 2. The Fundamentals of Linking 3. EU Climate Policy and the Design and Development of the EU Emissions Trading System 4. The EU Emissions Trading System and the California Cap-and-Trade Program 5. A Successful Linking Process between the EU Emissions Trading System and the Switzerland Emissions Trading System 6. The EU Emissions Trading System and the Australia Carbon Pricing Mechanism 7. Linking is Dominated by Domestic Political Interests, Domestic Structures and International Developments 8. Linking in the Climate Policy Debate and Future Prospects

"Linking of carbon markets has been lauded in theory for a long time, in order to improve liquidity and bring down compliance costs further. But actual linking progress has been rather meagre. This book provides an excellent overview and analysis of the EU’s linking history and helps us understand better the gap between theory and practice in this field." -- Jørgen Wettestad, Research Professor Fridtjof Nansen Insitute, Norway "Charlotte Unger raises fascinating and important questions related to the rise of emissions trading systems in different parts of the world and the factors which have promoted or inhibited efforts to link these systems, so as to create even bigger carbon trading markets. She highlights the climate benefits that could come from linking, while pointing out how domestic political factors can either boost or block linking efforts. This book will be a must-read for all those interested in developments globally related to emission trading systems." -- Miranda Schreurs, Professor of Environment and Climate Policy, Technical University of Munich, Germany