The concept of international climate finance channelled from developed to developing countries through public interventions for mitigation and adaptation has been developed over the last decade, but its roots date back to the early 1990s. Despite the high relevance of the topic in the international climate negotiations, illustrated by the (missed) target to mobilise USD 100 billion by 2020, there is no book that provides an overview accessible to academics and practitioners alike. This comprehensive Handbook of International Climate Finance closes this gap, with contributions from expert researchers and practitioners involved in key climate finance institutions. Chapters assess past approaches to international climate finance, discuss the effectiveness of different channels for climate finance, debate challenges encountered and elucidate national strategies of donors and recipients. An important section elaborates perspectives for sources of international climate finance from multilateral channels, the private sector, and blending of finance including through international carbon markets. The Handbook further elaborates perspectives on ownership and accountability and the role of the private sector. Mapping out pathways for the future, it concludes by providing a vision for international climate finance after 2025. This forward-thinking Handbook will be a critical resource for scholars and students with an interest in climate change and related policies and environmental politics, policy, and economics more broadly. It provides key input for international climate negotiators, climate activists and international climate finance institutions.

This book assesses the structure of projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol. It explains why, instead of the expected bilateral structure where a company from an industrialized country invests in a project in a developing country and receives the emission reduction credits in return, a unilateral structure prevails whereby a company from a developing country finances the emission reduction project itself and sells the emission reduction credits. The book arrives at three fundamental, interconnected, conclusions: CDM is logically a unilaterally driven investment activity; CDM investment is an irrelevant compliance instrument for companies from industrialised countries and that this state of affairs is unlikely to change post 2012; and CDM thrives in less equal and less ambitious post-2012 climate regimes. Unique in its analysis of corporate views on investment in CDM projects, this book will find widespread appeal amongst climate policy analysts, company representatives involved in developing CDM acquisition strategies and climate policymakers. It will also be of interest to anyone involved in the study of climate change, emissions reduction and trading and carbon markets.

After the failure of the Copenhagen conference, climate finance has become the buzzword of international climate negotiations. A fast-track volume of 30 billion US dollars has been promised by industrialised countries for emissions mitigation and adaptation activities in developing countries. A frantic race for access to these funds has begun without any consideration how an effective allocation could be achieved. This could lead to a backlash against climate finance in general once the first headlines about misuse of funds appear. This volume explores ways to safeguard effectiveness of climate finance. Looking into the past decade of climate policy, the authors show that market mechanisms can be a surprisingly attractive and transparent way to promote emissions mitigation in the Global South.

This special issue of the Climate Policy journal outlines the fundamentals of the new European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), assesses the strategies for and impact of implementation and highlights the scheme's potential, including positive aspects and remaining hurdles. The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the first international trading scheme for CO2 in the world. Its aim is to reduce the cost of compliance to existing targets under the Kyoto Protocol. From 1st January 2005, companies in high-energy sectors covered by the scheme must limit their CO2 emissions to allocated levels, arranged in two periods: from 2005-2007 and 2008-2012 (to match the first Kyoto commitment period). In practice, the scheme is likely to cover over 12,000 installations across the European Union, corresponding to approximately 46% of the total EU CO2 emissions. The EU ETS represents a significant development in working at an international level to combat dangerous climate change. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme presents a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the EU ETS, written by international experts in the field. The publication includes the latest research on emissions credits, the interaction of the trading scheme with national energy policies and the debate on future expansion.

Carbon markets - both emission trading systems and baseline and credit systems - are an increasingly common policy instrument being introduced to address climate change mitigation. However, their design is crucial to ensure that they deliver cost-effective emission reductions while maintaining environmental integrity. This Element puts together a comprehensive, principle-based overview of the risks and abuses to environmental integrity and cost effectiveness that have emerged for carbon markets at all jurisdictional levels around the world, provides concrete examples, and offers effective policy and governance solutions to overcome such risks. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This book builds on a decade-long experience with mechanisms provided by the Kyoto Protocol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. It discusses the challenges of climate finance in the context of the post-Copenhagen negotiations and provides a long-term outlook of how climate finance in developing countries could develop. Written by climate finance experts from academia, carbon finance businesses and international organizations, the book provides background, firsthand insights, case studies and analysis into the complex subject area of climate finance.

* Focusing on the new EU emissions trading scheme designed to limit the production of greenhouse gases, this special issue of the journal Climate Policy presents an authoritative review of the scheme and its likely impact* Presents the latest research on emissions credits, the interaction of the trading scheme with national energy policies, and the debate on future expansion * The authors are international experts in the field, bringing together a level of detailed analysis that will be invaluable for years to come This special issue of the journal Climate Policy outlines the fundamentals of the new European Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), assesses the strategies for and impact of implementation and highlights the scheme's potential, including positive aspects and remaining hurdles.The EU Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) is the first international trading scheme for CO2 in the world. Its aim is to reduce the cost of compliance to existing targets under the Kyoto Protocol. Since January 1, 2005, companies in high-energy sectors covered by the scheme must limit their CO2 emissions to allocated levels, arranged in two periods: from 2005-2007 and 2008-2012 (to match the first Kyoto commitment period). In practice, the scheme is likely to cover over 10,000 installations across the European Union, corresponding to approximately forty-six percent of the total EU CO2 emissions. The EU ETS represents a significant development in working at an international level to combat dangerous climate change. This publication presents a comprehensive and insightful analysis of the EU ETS.

Industrialized countries strive to fulfil at least part of their obligation to reduce greenhouse gases by investing in projects in developing countries rather than at home. Developing countries have been rather critical of this idea. This book outlines the development of the international negotiations on the subject and analyses different design options for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), taking into account the interests of various groups, especially host countries. Two case studies - one on a renewable energy project in Indonesia and another on Costa Rican climate policy - show the problems that are likely to be encountered by CDM and illustrate the importance of active host country involvement. The authors discuss the problems that will be addressed by forthcoming negotiation rounds and propose practical solutions for the CDM including baseline-setting, institutional structure and credit sharing. Moreover, a long-term view on linking climate and development policy is taken to achieve an equitable allocation of emission rights.