Finance question #8871b
This is the classic question that occurs whenever you read about mildly exotic financial instruments: how do I go about buying them?
I'd like to buy, through the European ETS, permission to emit fifty tons of CO2 in 2008-9. I have no intention of emitting fifty tons of CO2 this year - it's about five times the UK's per-capita annual CO2 output, the equivalent of ten round-the-world flights or fifteen years of my electricity usage - but as far as I have read a carbon-trading scheme only works in a green fashion if there are people prepared to buy CO2-emission permits and then not emit the CO2.
Lots of sites give a vague figure as to how much an ETS ton of CO2 costs, lots of sites say that there's a secondary market in the things; www.pointcarbon.com has a graph at the side of the page suggesting that the fifty tons of CO2 would cost me about a thousand pounds (EUR23.40/ton), and will graciously permit me to see more data for the trifling sum of twelve hundred Euros, but I can't find anywhere that will take a cheque for a thousand pounds, inscribe me on the EU Carbon Registry at www.emissionsregistry.gov.uk, and give me the certificates.
I'd like to buy, through the European ETS, permission to emit fifty tons of CO2 in 2008-9. I have no intention of emitting fifty tons of CO2 this year - it's about five times the UK's per-capita annual CO2 output, the equivalent of ten round-the-world flights or fifteen years of my electricity usage - but as far as I have read a carbon-trading scheme only works in a green fashion if there are people prepared to buy CO2-emission permits and then not emit the CO2.
Lots of sites give a vague figure as to how much an ETS ton of CO2 costs, lots of sites say that there's a secondary market in the things; www.pointcarbon.com has a graph at the side of the page suggesting that the fifty tons of CO2 would cost me about a thousand pounds (EUR23.40/ton), and will graciously permit me to see more data for the trifling sum of twelve hundred Euros, but I can't find anywhere that will take a cheque for a thousand pounds, inscribe me on the EU Carbon Registry at www.emissionsregistry.gov.uk, and give me the certificates.