UK Emissions Trading Scheme

(asked on 8th January 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with his overseas counterparts on a linked UK ETS.


Answered by
Anne-Marie Trevelyan Portrait
Anne-Marie Trevelyan
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
This question was answered on 18th January 2021

The Government recognises the importance of international co-operation on carbon pricing and the important role international carbon markets can play.

In that spirit, the UK is open to linking the UK ETS internationally in principle. There are more than 20 emissions trading systems globally.

This includes the EU ETS and the UK-EU Free Trade and Cooperation Agreement makes clear both parties will have their own effective systems of carbon pricing in place to help fulfil our respective climate goals. Both Parties have agreed to cooperate on carbon pricing in future and consider linking our respective systems, although we are not under any obligation to do so.

International collaboration is a key part of the UK’s global leadership on climate change and I look forward to working closely with my overseas counterparts on all aspects of tackling this global challenge, including carbon pricing.

Details of emissions trading systems around the world are available in the International Carbon Action Partnership (ICAP) Status Report 2020, available at: https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/icap-status-report-2020.

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