In the early stages of the emissions trading system, the price capped below 10 euros for a long time.
In the journey towards carbon neutrality, the price per tonne of CO2 is a compass for manufacturers. A key lever in the arbitration of investments and the transfer to less emitting technologies. “In the steel, illustrates Christian Gollier, economist, climate expert at the Toulouse Economic School, the current price (at 76 euros on the European market, editor’s note) is far too weak to switch from a traditional coal-based mode to a production based on green hydrogen.» In short: it is less expensive to buy carbon allowances than to invest in decarbonization technologies.
In the first phases of the emissions trading system (ETS or ETS in English), the price capped for a long time below the 10 euro mark, because there were too many quotas in circulation. The principle of this market, which covers electricity producers and industry, i.e. 40% of emissions in the European Union (EU), is to set constraints in terms of emissions…