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Gunter Grittmann
Head of Information and Communication
E-mail: grittmann@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-132
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
Kathrin Böhmer
Public Relations Officer
E-mail: boehmer@zew.de
Phone: +49 (0)621-1235-103
Fax: +49 (0)621-1235-255
The most recent KfW/ZEW CO2 Barometer shows that the costs resulting from the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) play a lesser role for the surveyed companies’ location decision than widely assumed. German companies subjected to the emissions trading regime do increasingly invest outside of Europe, but their motivation is to establish businesses close to local markets. read more
Approximately 800 companies in Germany participate in the EU emissions trading scheme (EU ETS). They spend more than 8.7 million euros per year for the management and administration of EU ETS, which equals an average financial burden of 10,000 euros per company and year. Costs are especially high for small firms which emit less than 25,000 tons of CO2 per year. Compared with larger emitters, their costs per ton of CO2 are ten times higher. To eliminate this inequality, small emitters could be excluded from the EU ETS and could be given other incentives to reduce their CO2 emissions. This is the result of a recent study by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Germany. read more
German companies are inadequately prepared for the third trading period of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), which will start in 2013. This is the finding of the third KfW/ZEW CO2 Barometer. Up till now, too few companies in Germany have taken measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Only 40 per cent of the companies surveyed have so far evaluated the expected costs. read more
By entering the third phase of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme (2013-2020), some German federal states and some cities or councils will have to pay dearly. As of 2013 a considerable share of emission certificates will not be distributed free of charge, but will be auctioned off instead. Thus, companies that are legally bound to participate in emissions trading will have to spend considerably more money in the future for emitting carbon dioxide. It is expected that the firms’ pricing for their products will remain unaffected. read more
The German government will not be able to reach its goal of reducing the country’s CO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2020, as compared to 1990, due to its current environmental policy. This is the opinion of the vast majority of roughly 200 energy market experts who are regularly asked for their opinion on energy economic issues in the ZEW Energy Market Barometer. (For further information on the Energy Market Barometer, see below.) read more
The second KfW/ZEW CO2 Barometer indicates that German firms’ occupation with the opportunities and risks of the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) is insufficient. Two thirds of them have not yet analysed the potential costs they will face as of 2013. Emission certificates will then not be distributed cost-free, but will be put up for auction. read more
The KfW/ZEW CO2-Barometer, which was released for the first time today, reflects a dynamically growing market for CO2 certificates in Europe. The survey is based on the EU emissions trading system (EU ETS), the first major transnational trading programme for greenhouse gases in the world. However, the database for the development of supply and demand as well as for the cost of emission certificates is rather incomplete at this point. This lack of information is reduced by a survey among German firms committed to emissions trading and international CO2 trading experts in the scope of the KfW/ZEW CO2-Barometer, which was jointly established by the KfW banking group and the Centre for European Economic Research. read more
At the World Climate Conference in Poznan, Poland, states entered in negotiations towards a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol for the time after 2012. However, a solo run by the developed countries is not enough for achieving a successful climate protection policy. The most important developing and newly industrialized countries will have to agree to ambitious climate protection obligations in the future. "To convince these countries of climate protection, the concept of global sectoral agreements seems to be an appropriate measure", explains Dr. Andreas Löschel, head of the research department "Environmental and Resource Economics, Environmental Management" at the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim. read more
Preserving tropical rainforests is not only important for the protection of biodiversity but represents a particularly cost-efficient instrument of climate policy. If the world's rainforests were involved in the international emissions trading to reduce climate-changing greenhouse gases, industrialised countries as well as developing countries would benefit in the long term. A recent study conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) suggests that avoiding emissions by protecting large rainforest areas is not only effective for climate protection but also cost-efficient. Integrating rainforest protection in a new climate policy agreement (after the Kyoto Protocol expiry in 2012) would thus considerably increase the effectiveness and affordability of future climate politics. read more
In the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol starting 2008, it is intriguing for Russia to sell its emission rights via the European Emissions trading system without the obligation to lower its own emissions. As Russia’s Kyoto emission rights will be significantly cheaper than the price level of 15 euros per ton of carbon dioxide, expected for 2008 in the EU emissions trading scheme, even European companies benefit from this. read more
In providing a framework for the exchange of emissions rights among firms, the EU emissions trading scheme introduced in 2005 carries great significance with respect to the climate protection goals of the Kyoto Protocol. As part of the 12th world climate conference to be held from 6.-17. November 2006 in Nairobi, Kenya negotiations are to take place concerning a follow-up agreement to the Kyoto Protocol as of 2012. read more
Not many enterprises will have to bear a great burden from the European emissions trading system. More than 80 percent of the participants of an expert survey conducted by the Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim, Germany, see the price for carbon dioxide emission rights at the beginning of 2005, the onset of the European emissions trading system, below ten Euro per ton of carbon dioxide. About 31 percent estimate the price even below five Euro. read more