Experts Confirm Compliance Key to Emissions Trading Markets' Success

Sixty-five participants from governments, international organizations, non-governmental organizations, third-party verifiers, and industry convened to discuss monitoring, reporting, and verification in emissions trading systems during the “Confidence Through Compliance in Emissions Trading Markets” workshop in Washington, D.C., on 17-18 November 2005.

The key outcomes of the workshop included: (1) a focused agenda for future work on monitoring, reporting, and verification; (2) confirmation of the importance of compliance in building confidence in emissions trading markets; (3) suggestions for future research; and (4) new knowledge from shared experiences among stakeholders participating in the E.U. emissions trading scheme for carbon dioxide, the U.S. program for sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, and emissions trading programs in Japan, Canada, and Australia.

The workshop was sponsored by INECE; the Environment Agency (England & Wales); the Dutch Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment; the European Commission; the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; and Resources for the Future. The event was hosted by American University's Washington College of Law.