Climate Bills and a Green Economy

New UK Trading Platform Promises to Shake Up Voluntary Carbon Market

June 8, 2010

Greenwise - A new trading platform has launched that is promising to shake up the voluntary carbon market by allowing companies of all sizes to carbon offset in a fast, transparent and efficient online exchange.

Carbon Trade Exchange (CTX) describes itself as the world’s first global spot electronic exchange for voluntary carbon credits. Its founder is Wayne Sharpe, who set up Bartercard, the world’s largest non cash credit unit exchange.

CTX claims to address the needs of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking to offset their carbon emissions using Voluntary Emission Reductions (VERs). It also promises to bring transparency to the voluntary carbon market, which has long been the target of criticism because it is unregulated, unlike the UN’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and the European Union’s Emissions Trading Scheme.

Individuals and organisations wanting to offset their carbon footprint can purchase VERs. VERs are carbon credits developed by carbon offset providers which are not certified. They fund projects that fall outside regulated markets such as the CDM.

The voluntary carbon market has matured in recent years, but the price of voluntary credits varies widely, as does the quality of projects and methods of emissions reduction used. There is also a question mark over how effective voluntary credits are at actually reducing emissions, because many credits transacted are not taken off the market, or retired.

Last year, the UK Government excluded voluntary offsets from its new quality assurance initiative, which identifies quality offsets.

However, voluntary credits are a multi-million pound business and CTX says its unique electronic interface with the Markit Environmental Registry, a global registry of environmental credits, allows instantaneous transfer of ownership of primary voluntary credits with no possibility of ‘double selling’.

CTX also says that its spot trading exchange avoids over the counter (OTC) trades, which it describes as “expensive” and “cumbersome” and not suited to the SME market.

“Buyers now have the ability to search by product, standard, project type, continent and location; then sort their search by price or best match to their requirements. A purchase can be completed in seconds – a process that can take weeks or months OTC,” CTX said in a statement.

New UK Housing Minister Promises to Support Zero-carbon Homes

June 4, 2010

Energyefficiencynews - The new UK housing minister Grant Shapps this week pledged to uphold the previous Labour government’s target for all new homes to be zero-carbon by 2016.

He promised that the Coalition Government will release a final definition of ‘zero-carbon’ in the next few weeks, bringing to an end years of consultation.

“I know how important it is to industry to have a clear definition as soon as possible – so that house builders can buy land with confidence and start to design the homes of the future, and so that the supply chain can gear up production of the technologies that will be needed,” he said.

Shapps said that as well as remaining committed to the 2016 target for all new homes to be zero carbon, he also wants to take effective action to reduce the 27% of emissions that the country’s homes currently represent.

Homes will need to have insulated walls, ceilings, floors and energy efficient windows to meet new energy standards, as well as using on-site renewables.

The housing minister set out his plans for getting the “the green housing industry back on track” at a new eco-housing development in Swindon.

The Triangle, developed by Hab Oakus with Housing Group Greensquare, received support from the Homes and Communities Agency, Department for Energy and Climate Change and the Energy Saving Trust to use renewable materials such as Hempcrete for external walls and incorporate other green features.

Last week the Coalition Government unveiled its energy and green economy bill, which includes plans for a ‘pay as you save’ loan scheme to help householders pay for energy efficiency measures out of the savings on their energy bills.

For further information: www.communities.gov.uk/

UK Government unveils energy and green economy bill (26-May)
UK Government sets standard for zero-carbon homes (25-Nov 2009)
UK Housing Minister promises new standard for zero-carbon homes (20-Jul 2009)
EU To Ban Construction of Ordinary Family Houses by 2020