UK, former colony poles apart on climate change.

摘要

In a report outlining the UK's position on the future of the EU's emissions trading system (ETS), Downing Street has pressed for more far-reaching reforms of the system than those favored by either the EC or Germany. According to UK Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, "The UK is asking for bold and comprehensive reforms to restore the ability of the EU ETS to drive cost-effective emission reduction and low carbon investment." The European Commission has proposed setting up a mechanism called the market stability reserve (MSR) in 2021 that would regulate the number of allowances on the carbon market, and Germany has called for a similar program to come into play in 2017, delaying some 900MM allowances from hitting the market. The UK, in contrast, has called for permanently canceling a "significant number" of allowances. London officials have signaled agreement with the EC on the matter of free carbon permits, saying that they should continue to be issued, but that the recipients should be more tightly limited to sectors most vulnerable foreign competition.