Carbon Markets

This book is a comprehensive and accessible guide to understanding the opportunities offered by regulated and voluntary carbon markets for tackling climate change. Coverage includes: an overview of the problem of climate change, with a concise review of the most recent scientific evidence in different fields; a highly accessible overview of the economic theory and different constitutive elements of a carbon allowances market; explanation of the Kyoto Protocol's flexibility mechanisms; explanation of how the EU Emissions Trading Scheme works in practice; coverage of regulated carbon markets in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa; ongoing developments in regulated carbon markets in the USA, Canada, and Japan; global voluntary carbon markets. Combining theoretical aspects with practical applications, this book is for business leaders, financiers, carbon traders, lawyers, bankers, researchers, policy makers and anyone interested in market-mechanisms to mitigate climate change.