the bottom up process - a net of cap and trade regions forming

[dlen]

In November, the next, that is the 21st, UN Climate Conference will take place in Paris. It is a highly complex event with thousands of participants within the UNFCCC – the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Its goal is to set mandatory emission limits for all member states. Predictably, this will be a difficult task (even given, that climate change and its consequences are hardly disputed any more – except in the US of A).

The EU created with its cap-and-trade-system the biggest tool globally to decrease GHG emissions. But it went to work too faint-heartedly from the beginning. This is why the system is currently in the process of being reformed, concerning the rate of decrease as well as some modalities.

Meanwhile, under the radar of the mass media, a global emission alliance is forming from the bottom up.

It all started with single cities and regions which decided to put their own house in order first and give themselves their own emissions cap. This happened (and in some cases will happen soon) in Australia, New Zealand, California, Quebec, Tokyo, Kasakhstan, Mexico, Washington (State), Ontario, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative with 9 east coast states in the US, South Korea, some Regions in China.

California and Quebec have now joined their emissions allowances systems. This means, that a power plant in California, which did not use its bought allowances, can sell it to another in Quebec, which needs more than expected, et vice versa.

And this is just the beginning. More and more regions with local certificate systems will connect with each other and make their allowances mutually tradeable. The EU is no exception: expanding the certificate trade region is woven into its program, first with Australia.

The advantage of this approach: a big single global treaty is not necessary. The regions can follow individually their moral aspirations or not. Each region joining increases the factual and moral / normative power of the movement.

It is a bottom – up – process. The participants feel much less alienated compared to a process, where the formation of will must first rise to the very top, where some regulations are adopted, which subsequently take effect on the lower, local institutions. This whole process can easily be blocked by the unwilling. With the bottom – up – process, the unwilling become mere bystanders and will be bypassed.

Feels good.

from https://remarksandobservations.wordpress.com/2015/05/05/the-web-of-the-good/.

[Tom_Mazanec]

Oregon Democrats push for cap-and-trade:
https://1010wins.radio.com/articles/ap-news/oregon-democrats-rally-behind-cap-and-trade-emissions-plan

[Bob Wallace]

 

This (top down)process can easily be blocked by the unwilling. With the bottom – up – process, the unwilling become mere bystanders and will be bypassed.

Seems like a good move.  And if enough heavy hitters join at some point they can start putting pressure on those that hold out.  At the minimum its gets things rolling and once any bugs are worked out it will make it difficult for holdouts to claim that it won't work, would destroy the economy, whatever.

[Tom_Mazanec]

PA LAWMAKERS PROPOSE A CAP-AND-TRADE SYSTEM TO CUT CARBON EMISSIONS
https://www.alleghenyfront.org/lawmaker-proposal-for-pa-cap-and-trade-system-to-cut-carbon-emissions/

Pennsylvania state lawmakers rallied Wednesday behind a clean-energy bill that would slash carbon emissions from the electric power sector at least 90 percent by 2040.

The bill, known as the Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Transition Act, would encourage the implementation of a “cap-and-invest” program, which would set a cap on the amount of carbon a power generator could emit and a price the company would pay if it went over the limit.