In an interesting article published in the European Energy Review, Thomas Spencer and Emmanuel Guérin, two researchers from IDDRI, explain why the ETS is a crucial element of European (and consequently also of worldwide) climate policy.
They point out the two main shortcomings of the ETS and suggest a two pronged approach to address these. On the one hand, there is oversupply of certificates at the moment; on the other hand, there is uncertainty with regards to EU policy concerning the ETS beyond 2020.
The approach they propose therefore includes a strengthening of the long-term ETS carbon caps with the EU’s official 2050 target of reducing GHG emissions by 80%, and to set down more precise intermediate targets for 2030.
What is more, the authors point out that the European Commission has the option of limiting the supply of certificates for short periods by delaying auctioning. The problem with the latter approach is, though, that the EUAs are not deleted, their issuance is merely postponed.
Therefore, TheCompensators* point out that civil society, including you, can contribute to reducing the availability of EUAs bybuying and deleting CO2 emissions. These certificates are then removed from the market for good and cannot be used ever again!
Despite strong protests by the aviation industry, the emissions of all flights landing or taking off in the European Union have tob e compensated in the European Emissions Trading Scheme. Especially American and Chinese airlines tried with all means to prevent this. On 21 December 2011, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that international airlines also need to compensate their flights into and from the EU. American as well as Chinese airlines have already announced that they will fight back against the ECJ’s ruling. Meanwhile, some European airlines have started buying emissions, while the Federation of German Industry both explains and criticises (document in German) the adding of aviation to the ETS.
In light of the fact that large amounts of emission certificates and the fact that they are largely allocated free of charge, TheCompensators* consider this uproar to be unjustified and demand that fewer certificates be handed out as well as that a larger portion of certificates be sold at auction. For 2012, 221,420,279 tonnes of CO2 have been allocated to the aviation industry. Of this amount, 85% will be handed out free of charge in 2012, while 15% will be sold at auction. From 2013 on, 82% will be allocated free of charge, 15% will be auctioned off and 3% will be put aside, for example for new airlines. There are voices who even claim that airlines could make a profit from the ETS.
In sum, the addition of the aviation industry is an important step for the European Emissions Trading Scheme. It remains that too large a portion of the industries’ emissions is free. This is why TheCompensators* encourage you to continue compensating for the emissions incurred during unavoidable air travel yourselves.
In 2011, TheCompensators* once again offered their members and supporters the opportunity to offer climate protection as a present. This initiative was welcomed by many of you and TheCompensators* were able to delete emissions certificates worth 30 tonnes of CO2. Have a look at the confirmation of transaction.
The European Commission will publish its “Roadmap 2050″ to a decarbonised economy in the next days.
Drafts of the document circulate already in Brussels, and the “European Energy Review” gives an overview of the different stakeholder’s opinions on it.
The article refers to the position of the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA). According to the review, EWEA’s Senior Regulatory Affairs Advisor on Climate and Environment, Rémi Gruet, advocates not only a target for renewable energies, but also a stronger carbon market. According to EWEA, the cap of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme for emissions “will need to be tightened to set the EU on track to an 80% domestic emission reduction by 2050″.
One solution currently in discussion is to decrease the number of pollution rights in the ETS. This would allow the European Union to set a new emission reduction goal of 30% in 2020 instead of 20%. According to the European Energy Review, this idea is “starting to garner some support beyond the NGO community, but many in the power sector say 2020 is ‘tomorrow’ and it makes more sense to concentrate on 2030 now.”
TheCompensators* support the idea to raise the emission reduction goal to 30% by axing the number emissions allowances. Now it’s up to you to do your share by deleting your own emissions!
Furthermore, TheCompensators* acknowledge that some of the most progressive utilities have started to join the decarbonization movement. According to the European Energy Review “three utilities in particular stepped out from the mould in November with a call for the Commission to present a second EU climate and energy package that would set binding targets for emission reductions, renewables and efficiency for 2030.”
According to the article Eneco from the Netherlands, SSE from the UK and DONG Energy from Denmark say “they need long-term predictability to invest in the technological innovations needed and bring down costs.”
We are pleased to annouce that we have joined PlanetHelp just in time for the Christmas season.
PlanetHelp is an organisation which helps collect donations through online shopping. In other words, you can make a contribution to our work while shopping on the internet – without paying more money!
You will pay exactly the same price as everyone else and we will then receive a certain percentage of the money you spent.
There is a whole host of vendors who have agreed to join PlanetHelp, so there will definitely be something there for you.
So think of us when you do your online Christmas shopping (or any other shopping for that matter). It won’t cost you a penny, but it’ll mean a great deal to us!
“A physically and commercially integrated European electricity market combined with greater compatibility among national regulatory frameworks and a sufficiently restrictive carbon regime provide the foundation for achieving established GHG abatement objectives affordably, reliably and securely. However, progress on market integration is lagging and the current ETS linear reduction factor of 1.74% needs to be adjusted to align with the 2050 target of 80% domestic GHG abatement.”
TheCompensators* agree that the ETS reduction factor needs be adapted. Instead of waiting for politics to do that, you can delete emissions today with TheCompensators*!
Are you looking for a Christmas present? Why not give something meaningful: climate protection!
The nations are debating how global warming might be limited and how the climate might be protected in the Southafrican city of Durban at the moment. To date, it once again appears that the necessary decisions will not be taken.
But you have the opportunity to become active yourself in advancing climate protection! Compensate your emissions or simply send out a signal: make a donation to TheCompensators* so that we can withdraw emission rights from the European Emissions Trading Scheme and thus reduce the amount of emissions which European industries are able to emit.
If you want to give away emission certificates as a gift, send us a quick e-mail to info_at_thecompensators.org after your donation. You will then receive a Christmas certificate in addition to your donation receipt.
A recent study confirms TheCompensators* criticism of the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). For a whole host of large industrial enterprises, which count among the largest polluters in Germany, emissions trading serves as a lucrative source of income instead of obliging them to protect our climate.
In a study entitled “Carbon Fatcats” (English version, you will find a more up to date German version here), our British partner organisation Sandbag, the German environmental organisation BUND and Germanwatch proves that considerably too many emissions certificates are distributed to large enterprises – for free. Companies such as Arcelor, Mittal, ThyssenKrupp, Salzgitter and BASF have particularly benefitted from this situation. According to the study, they received a surplus of than 60 million tonnes of CO2 for their sites in Germany alone. This amounts to a value of currently around € 782 million – and allows these companies to make large additional gains by selling those emissions rights.
The study shows that the emissions trading scheme, which in itself is a very useful tool to reduce emissions, needs to be improved urgently. Otherwise the goals set for the system for climate protection will never be reached!
Politicians – i.e. the European Commission and its member states – therefore must act! The number of allocated emissions certificates must be reduced significantly so that emissions will really start drop. Furthermore, certificates must not be handed out for free – companies must pay for the right to pollute.
And what is more, every individual can play an active role and compensate her/his emissions! Buying and deleting emissions certificates via TheCompensators* reduces the number of pollution rights which are available to companies. At the same time every deleted certificate is a political voice for a better emissions trading scheme.
We did it again: TheCompensators* have deleted pollution rights adding up to a value of 100 tonnes of CO2! This means that they are no longer available to the European industry. Have a look at the confirmation of transaction.
A big thank you to all our donors and members!
If you would also like to donate (or to do it again) – no problem: Compensate your emissions right now!
Several German newspapers are giving hints how to travel in climate friendly way. One advice: compensate your emissions through TheCompensators. We would say: that is a good idea!
Hundreds of origami cranes folded thanks to your help!
An estimated 100,000 people participated in Saturdays’ protest march against nuclear power in Berlin last Saturday, sending out a clear signal that there is strong sentiment against this dangerous source of energy and for the development of clean and safe technologies among all parts of the German population.
With the help of many protesters, big and small, around 400 origami cranes were folded and many interesting discussions were had. So, although we did not manage to achieve our goal of 1,000 cranes, we are very pleased with how the day went, both in terms of taking a stance on nuclear power as well as showing our support for the Japanese people.
We will carry on making cranes – and . If you want to lend us a hand, fold (at least) one crane and send us a picture of it! We will publish it on this page. Should you need instructions on how to fold origami cranes, you will find them here.
We will fold 1,000 origami cranes but we won’t fold on nuclear power
On Saturday, 26 March 2011 TheCompensators* will support the Germany-wide protests against nuclear power and for true climate protection. Recent events in Japan have once again shown the inherent risks of nuclear energy as well as how uncontrollable this technology is.
TheCompensators* don’t consider nuclear power to be a clean source of energy nor is it a solution in the fight against climate change, because it delays the development of renewable energies. These, however, are necessary in order to stem climate change. This is also the goal which TheCompensators* are aiming for with their involvement in emission trading.
Through our initiative at the protest on Saturday we would also like to express our sincere sympathies with the Japanese people. We will follow a Japanese tradition which states that the person who folds 1,000 origami cranes will be granted a wish.
It is our wish to stop the use of nuclear energy, to promote green technologies and to combat climate change effectively. That is why we will set up our stall at the concluding rally of the anti-nuclear march in Straße des 17. Juni in Berlin. There we will attempt to fold 1,000 emissions certificates into origami cranes – and we count on your help in this!
If you are not in Berlin, there are other places in Germany where you can participate in anti-nuclear protest marches. You will find more information here (in German).
Are you looking for a Christmas present? Why not give something meaningful: climate protection!
The nations are debating how global warming might be limited and how the climate might be protected in the Mexican city of Cancún at the moment. To date, it once again appears that the necessary decisions will not be taken.
But you have the opportunity to become active yourself in advancing climate protection! Compensate your emissions or simply send out a signal: make a donation to TheCompensators* so that we can withdraw emission rights from the European Emissions Trading Scheme and thus reduce the amount of emissions which European industries are able to emit.
If you want to give away emission certificates as a gift, send us a quick e-mail to info_at_thecompensators_dot_org after your donation. You will then receive a Christmas certificate in addition to your donation receipt.
TheCompensators* got to work – and got things done! On the international climate action day on 10/10/10 we were able to delete ten tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2).
Together with other initiatives such as the “Klimapiraten“, TheCompensators* were present in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin this Sunday to sell emission certificates and climate-neutral cakes during the big “Replugging Party”. And it was worth it: with the €170 we made, we will be able to retire more than 10 tonnes of pollution rights in the coming days! These will then no longer be available to industry in the European Emission Trading System (ETS).
We would like to thank all donors and the organisers of 350.org and the 10:10 campaign for a successful global day of action!
On Sunday 10/10/10 TheCompensators* will participate in the “Global Day of Doing”. This worldwide event coordinated jointly by 350.org and the 10:10 campaign. We are pleased to announce that the Berlin event has been selected as the lead event for Europe and should generate a great deal of attention.
Under the motto of “Berlin replugs” our partners from the Klimapiraten will symbolically replug households, hospitals and other consumers of electricity from plants using fossil fuels or nuclear power to green sources of electricity such as wind or solar. Visitors will be able to follow this example by changing their electricity providers there and then. All that’s needed is the number of your electricity meter.
At their stand, TheCompensators* will not only provide information on what they do as an organisation, but will also offer the opportunity to buy emissions certificates in two ways: either by directly buying a certificate or by buying a slice of homemade cake. The money earned on the sale of cakes will of course be spent on purchasing and deleting further emissions certificates.
So if you would like to meet us in person or would like to find out how easy it is to make your own contribution to the reduction of carbon emissions you should not miss Sunday’s event!
Join us on 10/10/10 at 11am at the Pariser Platz in front of the Brandenburg Gate.
TheCompensators* have signed a letter addressed to Herman Van Rompuy, President of the European Council. The letter was initiated by our friends of Sandbag, a British campaign group which tries to public awareness on emissions trading.
In the letter Van Rompuy is urged to move to a reduction of emissions across the European Union by 30%, if not more. This target has already been reached halfway, showing that reducing emissions is possible. What is more, the EU is in a unique position to be a role model to the rest of the world by setting ambitious targets. TheCompensators* wholeheartedly support this cause.
If you would like to sign the letter, please follow this link.
We have transferred our website to a new hoster. Therefore, some of our webpages may not work well… Have you found something that does not work? Please write us a short e-mail to info_at_thecompensators_dot_org.
Our contribution to go back to 350ppm on the 350 Climate Action Day, October 24th, 2009.
We can report that, with your help during our recent actions, we have been able to purchase and today delete 287 EUAs, which bring us to the total amount of 350 EUAs deleted since this Summer. Please have a look at the transaction Transaction voucher DE-83615 here.
Cap and trade is a system designed to let developed countries piggyback on the climate friendly aspects of much of the developed world. But is the price they pay really high enough?
Löschen fürs Klima: Wie Umwelt-Aktivisten den Preis für Emissionsrechte erhöhen. Von Richard Fuchs. SWR2 Impuls vom 5.11.2009 (4:34 Min.) Listen to it.
Activists cut CO2 by buying and eliminating emissions certificates
The non-profit group TheCompensators* buy CO2 emissions allowances on the European market; but rather than re-selling them at a higher price, it aims to get rid of them.
In Berlin haben Wissenschaftler einen Verein gegründet, der das EU-Emissionshandelssystem nutzen will, um der Atmosphäre viele Tonnen Treibhausgase zu ersparen. Er kauft Verschmutzungsrechte – um sie dann zu vernichten.
Deutschland sucht die Klimakanzlerin – mit TheCompensators*
Der Klimawandel scheint aus der politischen Debatte verschwunden. Und dass, obwohl der entscheidende Klimagipfel in Kopenhagen vor der Tür steht. Deshalb schlugen Klima-Aktivisten jetzt Alarm: mit einer Quiz-Show.
We have done it! On the 350.org Climate Action Day on Saturday, 24 October we have deleted 350 tonnes of CO2 thanks to donations of our members and supporters.
With a bit of assistance from the Heavens, 350 tonnes of CO2 were destroyed with a bang in front of one of Berlin’s most famous landmarks – the Brandenburg Gate. In a symbolic act, an angel burst a balloon filled with emission permits at the Pariser Platz.
On Saturday, October 24th, theInternational Day of Climate Action, a concrete action for climate protection will be taken: TheCompensators* will spare the atmosphere 350 tonnes of CO2.
In a symbolic act, we will burst a balloon filled with emission permits suspended above a stage at the Pariser Platz, in front of the Brandenburg Gate at 12.15. This way 350 tonnes of CO2 will be destroyed with a bang.
The emission permits were purchased and deleted by TheCompensators* using donated funds – the pollution rights will no longer be available to industry.
Be in Pariser Platz on October 24th at 11.30 a.m.: a TV-show, 350 Chancellors, Angels, Devils and the 350 balloon will be waiting for you!
To know more about the 350 Climate Action day, please visit 350.org
Spread the word, join us on Saturday, become a memberor make a donation, whether 3.50, 35.00, or 350.00, euros, dollars, pounds or pesos, your contribution will help buying 350 (or even more!) EUAs, which we will destroy on Saturday, October 24th.
Come along and enjoy a CO2-neutral aperitif as well as the climate friendly artwork of the virtual “Methane Factory” recently founded by the Berlin artist Gerhard Bär. You will also have the opportunity to buy your own emission permits and thus become part of our “350t CO2 action“.
On September 22, TheCompensators* had been invited to present their work at the conference “Reset Kopenhagen”. To know more, read this article on the Reset website or watch the following video!
We hope you have already heard about 350.org and the 350 ppm climate action day on October 24th…
If not, it’s time to know what 350.org is about
350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis–the solutions that justice demand.
The focus is on the number 350–as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number–it’s a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.
TheCompensators* have met with 350.org and decided to take action together to get 350 t of CO2 out of the EU ETS on October 24th.
So far TheCompensators* have deleted nearly 2000 EUAs from the EU ETS. Collecting the money to purchase 350 EUAs is feasible.
But we need YOUR HELP!
Spread the word, become a memberor make a donation, whether 3.50, 35.00, or 350.00, euros, dollars, pounds or pesos, your contribution will help buying 350 (or even more!) EUAs, which we will delete publicly on October 24th.
We can report that we have finally, after a long wait, been able to purchase and delete 215 EUAs as of today. The register now provides data export, so please have a look at our transaction list (including the ones from 2007) here.
We just transferred €4699.45 to our broker and await a lot of around 172 EUAs to be delivered for deletion to our account by next week. Once Hannah is back from Indonesia and the EUAs are ready to be deleted, we will do so and keep you updated on the website.
We could purchase EUAs from Austria and stock them at our brokers account. Deletion and proof in Austria are not possible yet, firstly when the registers are coupled (October). We are discussing whether purchasing and stocking, followed by a deletion once we got the EUAs is the best option to pursue.
The BMU just announced that the registers of the EU and the ones of the UNFCCC will be coupled in October. Until then, the German accounts will be kept closed and no allocations will take place. Thus, it is impossible to purchase EUAs in Germany, until the coupling has taken place. We now inquire whether a purchase in Austria is feasible. If it is, we will do so.
We are still waiting until we can do the first transaction of 2008. Unfortunately we were not able to do a transaction in germany yet. There would be the possibility to do it via Austria, and let the Austrian registry delete the emission allowances, but we do not find this appropriate. We will investigate whether now is the time to do a transaction in Germany, and if not, whether a transaction in Austria can be made with a proof of deletion which we can present. We are grateful for your patience and apologise for any inconveniences.
Up to now it was not possible to obtain EUAs from the registers in Germany. It would have been possible to purchase EUAs in Austria, though, but then we would have not been able to delete them by ourselves. This is why we decided to wait until a purchase in Germany will be possible. Our broker said this would approximately be from July on.
Thus, we will soon get in touch with him to see whether a purchase is possible. In case this is so, we will use 90% our savings to purchase a lot of EUAs which will be retired as soon as we obtain them. As of today we have saved up to € 4 670.55.
The second trading period has already started. We wanted to buy and delete EUAs with the money we have saved up until now. Unfortunately, this is not possible yet, since the registries are not ready yet. Our broker informed us, that trading at the moment is only possible in Austria, the German registry is not ready yet. Thus, we need to wait until we can trade here in Germany, so that we can actually delete the emission allowances from our account at the German national registry. According to our broker, this will be possible late spring or summer this year. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause for you. If you have further questions, please simply contact us via the contact form.
So unterschiedlich die Menschen sind, die wir Ihnen hier vorstellen, sie alle eint ein Gedanke. Sie sind der festen Überzeugung, dass dieser Planet nur dann in hundert Jahren noch lebenswert bleibt, wenn man jetzt dafür arbeitet. Sie opfern Zeit, Kraft und manchmal auch viel Geld, um ihre Ziele zu erreichen. Und wir wollen ihnen dafür Danke sagen.
Hannah Förster, Antonella Battaglini, Armin Haas
sind Wissenschaftler am Potsdam-Institut für Klimafolgenforschung. Gemeinsam haben sie die Aktion TheCompensators* ins Leben gerufen. Dabei wird jedem Bürger die Möglichkeit gegeben, Emissionsberechtigungen aus dem Europäischen Emissionshandelssystem zu löschen. Durch Mitgliedschaft und Unterstützung von TheCompensators* können die Teilnehmer implizite Unterstützung für eine effektive Klimapolitik leisten, Emissionsreduktionsanstrengungen einfordern, und durch einen steigenden Preis für CO2 zu einer schnelleren Verbreitung von klimaneutralen Technologien beitragen.
Eine CO2-Bremse für jedermann offeriert der Berliner Verein “TheCompensators”: Er kauft Zertifikate, die zum Ausstoß des Treibhausgases Kohlendioxid (CO2) berechtigen. Diese werden dann aus dem Handel genommen. Mit dem Stilllegen der Zertifikate wollen die Gründer der Plattform die Preise für die Verschmutzungsrechte an den Strombörsen hochtreiben. “Nur dann wird die Industrie in CO2-freie Techniken investieren”, glaubt Mitgründerin Hannah Förster.
Die Idee kam den Klimakämpfern, als sie überlegten, wie sie die Emissionen ihrer Dienstreisen kompensieren könnten. “TheCompensators” kann jeder beitreten, die Vereinsbeiträge dienen zum Kauf von Emissionsrechten. Derzeit kostet ein Zertifikat für eine Tonne CO2 etwa 6,75 Euro.
We are pleased to annouce that we have joined 
Are you looking for a Christmas present? Why not give something meaningful: climate protection!
Are you looking for a Christmas present? Why not give something 
We have transferred our website to a new hoster. Therefore, some of our webpages may not work well… Have you found something that does not work? Please write us a short e-mail to info_at_thecompensators_dot_org.
