Research Seminar Series - PhD Confirmation Seminar: Pollution in Dollars, Cents, and Market Places: An International Comparative Study of Emission Trading Schemes

Event Details

Date:

Friday, 17 August 2012

Time:

12:00 pm - 1:00 pm

Room:

Sir Samuel Griffith Room, 1-W341

UQ Location:

Forgan Smith Building (St Lucia)

URL:

http://www.law.uq.edu.au/law-research-seminar-series

Event category(s):

Full Description:: Speaker: Mr Robert Cooper, PhD Candidate, TC Beirne School of Law

In 1997, the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change set down, among other things, specific greenhouse gas emission reduction targets. Under the Kyoto Protocol, 38 countries and one economic area have ‘quantified emission limitation or reduction commitments’. The most common method of meeting these commitments chosen by states is an Emission Trading Scheme (‘ETS’). This research project considers three key issues that governments face in the operation of an ETS: carbon leakage; carbon credits; and, international emission units. These issues will be considered across three case studies, which are New Zealand, the United Kingdom (per its implementation of the European Union ETS), and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (a scheme operating in nine states of the United States). This presentation will begin with a brief introduction to the research question and the methodology. The presentation will then cover the scientific history of anthropogenic climate change and the international legal response. Finally, this presentation will discuss the three key issues that are to be considered in this research project.