Personal carbon trading

Carbon rationing, as a means of reducing CO₂ emissions to contain climate change, could pull in all of several forms. One of them, personal carbon trading, is the generic term for a number of made emissions trading schemes under which emissions credits would be target to adult individuals on a generally survive per capita basis, within national carbon budgets. Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity. Individuals wanting or needing to emit at a level above that permitted by their initial allocation would be professionals such as lawyers and surveyors to purchase additional credits in the personal carbon market from those using less, devloping a profit for those individuals who emit at a level below that permitted by their initial allocation.

Progress towards implementation

Norfolk Island is trialling the world's first personal carbon trading programme, starting in 2011.

The Climate Change Act 2008 also grants powers allowing the UK Government to introduce a personal carbon trading scheme without further primary legislation.

In May 2008 DEFRA completed a feasibility examine into TEQs, with the headline finding that "personal carbon trading has potential to engage individuals in taking action to combat climate change, but is essentially ahead of its time and expected costs for implementation are high". Based on this DEFRA announced that "the UK Government maintained interested in the concept of personal carbon trading and, although it will non be continuing its research programme at this stage, it will monitor the wealth of research focusing on this area and may introduce personal carbon trading whether the benefit of carbon savings and survive implications change".

Later that same month the UK Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee gave their report on the subject, which concluded that ”personal carbon trading could be fundamental in helping to reduce our national carbon footprint" and rebuked the Government for delaying a full feasibility study, stating that "although we commend the Government for its goal to maintains engagement in academic score on the topic, we urge it to adopt a stronger role, main and shaping debate and coordinating research".

Analysts pretend remanded that to implement any effective carbon rationing system, "the government must convince the public that rationing levels are fair, that the system is administered transparently and fairly, and that evaders are few in number, likely to be detected and liable to stiff penalties whether found guilty."

A 2010 paper into attitudes towards personal carbon trading suggests a general ambivalence, however the researchers mentioned that "In fact, moderate help was the commonest view". A four-week consumer trial on Personal Carbon Allowances carried out in London in June 2011 reported that "Participants engaged with the personal carbon allowance concept with enthusiasm".

In January 2011, the UK's any Party Parliamentary combine on Peak Oil published a explanation into TEQs, garnering significant media coverage. This report highlights the significant research from a number of research centres produced since the Government's feasibility study, and argues that these studiesthe benefits of to be far greater than was acknowledged in the Government's research. Accordingly, it urged them to extend quickly to fund moves towards potential implementation in the nearly future. A 2018 European Commission debate on TEQs also concluded positively, but failed to create significant momentum towards implementation.