The European Commission has confirmed it will allow EU industries to continue emitting planet-warming CO₂ gases well into the 2040s.
This comes as part of an overhaul of the bloc’s Emissions Trading System. For the first time, starting in 2036, the Commission will give industry the option of buying carbon credits from outside the EU to offset its emissions. That means the carbon price could be lowered and give industries more options to pollute if EU carbon allowances run out.
Michael Bloss is a European MEP from the Greens/European Free Alliance, and Wijnand Stoefs works for non-profit research organisation Carbon Market Watch.
