Study tour on emissions trading for Chinese experts

In the second half of 2017, the People’s Republic of China will launch its national emissions trading system (ETS). The Chinese carbon market will be the world’s largest system, regulating more than 7,000 companies with annual emissions of between three to five gigatonnes of CO2. China already has seven ETS pilots operating across different cities and provinces, which have been in place since 2013. These will be key to build up national carbon pricing know how and experiences. Until the launch of the national ETS, it is of utmost importance for the non-pilot regions to prepare by building capacity in the institutions responsible for administrating the ETS in their region.

To address this need, representatives from the local Development Reform Commissions (DRC) and other institutions under the command of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) undertook a study tour on emissions trading in Germany from 29 November to 16 December 2015. Participants were introduced to the concept of ETS and the practices needed for successfully implementing an effective ETS. The programme offered a comprehensive overview of emissions trading theory and practice in both Germany and Europe, with a special focus on the governance structures and working processes of competent authorities that are necessary for operating an ETS. 

In cooperation with the consultancies ICF and SinoCarbon, who run the European Commission’s ETS China project, adelphi and its partners FutureCamp, DIW Econ, and Öko-Institut organised and carried out the study tour. On top of logistics and supporting the Chinese delegation, adelphi was also responsible for developing training materials, facilitating different dialogue formats and giving expert presentations.

The study tour was a joint initiative of the “Supporting the Design and Implementation of ETS in China” project of the European Commission and the “Capacity Building ETS” project of the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB). It was also supported by the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt).