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What's China's carbon market and how does it work?

China is looking for public feedback on a strategy to include cement, steel and aluminium production in its carbon emissions trading scheme (ETS) by the end of the year, in a relocation it hopes will boost market liquidity.

Here are some facts about the carbon market in the world's. largest greenhouse gas discharging country.

WHAT IS CHINA'S CARBON MARKET?

China's carbon market includes a necessary emission. trading system (ETS) and a voluntary greenhouse gas (GHG). emissions reduction trading market, also called the China. Qualified Emission Decrease (CCER) plan, revamped earlier. this year.

The ETS will eventually consist of 8 significant producing. sectors including power generation, steel, developing materials,. non-ferrous metals, petrochemicals, chemicals, paper and civil. air travel, which together represent 75% of China's total. emissions.

The 2 plans run individually however are. interconnected through a system that allows firms to purchase CCERs on. the voluntary market to fulfill their compliance targets under the. ETS.

WHAT IS THE ETS?

China's compulsory carbon market, the ETS, started. trading in July 2021 on the Shanghai Environment and Energy. Exchange. During its first stage, it has included more than. 2,000 crucial emitters in the power sector, each with emissions of. a minimum of 26,000 metric heaps a year. The exact same threshold will be. used for the steel, cement and aluminium sectors.

Under the scheme, firms are granted a quota of free. licensed emission allowances (CEAs). If actual emissions go beyond. a business's quota throughout an offered compliance duration, it needs to buy. more allowances from the market to cover the gap. If its. emissions are lower, it can offer its surplus CEAs.

Allowances are decided not by outright emission levels,. however by market carbon intensity criteria set by the. government, which are minimized with time. Emitters are obliged to. submit crucial criteria on a month-to-month basis and report emission. data every year.

Because its creation, it has become the world's biggest. emissions trading platform, covering about 5.1 billion lots of. co2 equivalent, around 40% of China's total.

By the end of 2023, the trading volume on the national ETS. had actually reached a cumulative total of 442 million lots, with a worth. of 24.92 billion yuan ($ 3.50 billion), according to official. data.

The inclusion of three more sectors is expected to bring. another 1,500 essential emitters and 3 billion tons of emissions under. the scope of the ETS, raising need for credits and possibly. pushing up costs.

The carbon rate on the national ETS, which tends to rise. when quota allowances fall, has generally been much lower than. overseas markets, but broke through 100 yuan a heap for the very first. time on April 24.

WHAT IS CCER?

Beijing relaunched its national voluntary GHG emission. decrease trading market, referred to as the CCER, in January,. permitting wider involvement in the carbon market.

The registration and issuance of CCERs was suspended in 2017. partly due to low trading volumes, although existing credits can. still be traded.

The addition of more sectors to the necessary carbon market. is anticipated to raise demand for CCERs, with essential emitters enabled. to use the voluntary market credits to balance out 5% of their overall. emissions.

(source: Reuters)