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Energy Research Topics: Personal Carbon Trading
The LCF team, as part of its work within the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC), is investigating personal carbon trading (PCT), a proposed quantity-based policy instrument for reducing the carbon emissions by individuals.
A PCT would operate as a "cap and trade" scheme, whereby a cap is set on personal carbon emissions. The carbon rights are allocated for free to individuals in the form of an allowance. Individuals are then required to surrender carbon units from their allowance when purchasing fossil-based fuel for home energy use or personal transport. Individuals have the ability to buy additional carbon units if needed or sell carbon units if they have a surplus. Read more on PCTs.
Projects
- Mechanisms for achieving demand reduction through Personal Carbon Trading (PCT)
2008-2009
ECI hypothesises that PCT could deliver energy demand reduction through tying together three basic mechanisms: economic, psychological and social. A number of research questions are being examined with this model in mind.
- Carbon Rationing Action Groups: insights for policy design
2008
As part of ECI's work on Personal Carbon Allowances Rachel Howell is researching Carbon Rationing Action Groups (CRAGs) in order to determine whether they have anything useful to tell us about the potential design of a PCT policy.
- iMeasure
2007-2009
an easy-to-use online tool for accurately measuring and monitoring home energy use and carbon emissions over time.
- UK Energy Research Centre - Demand Reduction
Oct 04 - Apr 09
Addressing the challenge of how to reduce our energy demands. We will consider the introduction of new technologies and ways of influencing consumer behaviour whilst covering concerns about distribution and affordability.
- Scoping study of a personal carbon trading pilot scheme
Dec 06 - Sep 07
The project is examining what would be involved in implementing a PCT pilot scheme. The project is funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and UKERC.
More Personal Carbon Trading projects
Documents & Media
Reports and Working Papers
- Eyre, N. (2010) Policing carbon: design and enforcement options for personal carbon trading. Climate Policy, 10(4): 432-446.
- Fawcett, T. (2010) Personal carbon trading: A policy ahead of its time? Energy Policy, 38(11): 6868-6876.
- Fawcett, T. and Parag, Y. (2010) An introduction to personal carbon trading. Climate Policy, 10(4): 329-338.
- Fawcett, T. (2010) Personal carbon trading in different national contexts. Climate Policy, 10(4): 339-352.
- Parag, Y. and Eyre, N. (2010) Barriers to personal carbon trading in the policy arena. Climate Policy, 10(4): 353-368.
- Parag, Y. and Strickland, D. (2009) Personal Carbon Budgeting: What people need to know, learn and have in order to manage and live within a carbon budget, and the policies that could support them. UKERC Research Report, Demand Reduction Theme.
- Capstick, S. & Lewis, A. (2009) Personal Carbon Allowances: A Pilot Simulation and Questionnaire. UKERC Research Report - Demand Reduction Theme. Environmental Change Institute.
- Howell, R. (2009) The Experience of Carbon Rationing Action Groups: Implications for a Personal Carbon Allowances Policy. Final report for UKERC Demand Reduction Theme | Executive Summary
- Fawcett, T., Bottrill, C., Boardman, B., and Lye, G. (2007) Trialling personal carbon allowances. UKERC Research Report: ukerc/rr/dr/2007/002.
- Understanding Domesic Tradable Quotas (DTQs) and Personal Carbon Allowances (PCAs)
[PDF: 97KB]
Catherine Bottrill, October 2006
- Personal Carbon Trading: The case for excluding ground public transportation [PDF: 55KB]
Catherine Bottrill, December 2006
Workshops
- Personal Carbon Trading (PCT): Bringing together the research community"
27-28 November 2008, Oxford.
- Taxing and Trading: Debating Options for Carbon Reduction[PDF: 177KB]
Sarah Keay-Bright and Tina Fawcett, 3-4th November 2005
- Living in a Low Carbon World: The Policy Implications of Rationing [PDF: 315KB]
Mayer Hillman and Tina Fawcett, 30 June 2005
- Personal Carbon Trading Workshop [PDF: 1.14MB]
Catherine Bottrill, 24th October 2006
Conference papers
- Parag Yael (2008) Cross Policy Learning: Drawing Lessons for Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) Policy from Food Labelling Schemes In Proceedings, 13th Annual APPAM conference, LA, California.
- Internet-based tools for behaviour change
Catherine Bottrill, 2007. In Proceedings of 8th ECEEE Conference - Just Do It!
- What would a strategy of demand reduction mean for the UK? [PDF: 97KB]
Tina Fawcett, 2005. In Proceedings of 5th Annual BIEE Conference: European energy – synergies and conflicts
- Fawcett, T. 2005 Making the case for personal carbon rations. Proceedings of European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, Summer Study 2005.
Print, Radio & TV
- T Fawcett 2007 Personal carbon allowances. Energy and Environmental Management Magazine (Defra) Nov/Dec 07
- Carbon plans that make you cut down
21 January 2007. Catherine Bottrill talks about her carbon footprint and Oxford's Carbon Reduction Action Group in the Observer.
- Personalising Carbon Emissions: Are Personal Carbon Allowances the Answer? [PDF: 275KB]
Tina Fawcett, Autumn 2005
- What we need is Carbon Watchers
Tina Fawcett, New Statesman Magazine, 3 October 2005
- Energy Matters: personal carbon allowances.
Fawcett, T. 2005. Geography Review, vol. 19, no. 5, pp. 8-9
Books
- Fawcett T., Hvelplund, F., Meyer, N.I. 2010 Making it personal: per capita carbon allowances, in Sioshansi, F. (Ed) Generating electricity in a carbon-constrained world. Elsevier pp87-107
- Hillman, M., Fawcett, T., and Rajan, S.C. 2007 The suicidal planet: How to prevent global climate catastrophe. Thomas Dunne Books, St Martin’s Press. New York.
Submissions to government
- House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, Inquiry into personal carbon allowances. Evidence from the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford submitted 5 July 2007, presented in person by Tina Fawcett.
Evidence submitted: 24 July 2007.
- HM Treasury: Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change. Response from the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. [PDF: 74KB]
Evidence submitted: 27th February 2006
- UK Parliamentary Environment Food Rural Affairs (EFRA) Select Committee Inquiry to examine Climate Change: the "Citizen's Agenda"
Response from the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. [PDF: 46KB]
Evidence submitted: 1st September 2006
Selected presentations
- Personal Carbon Allowances: economical, social and psychological mechanisms for delivering carbon emissions reduction. Behaviour Energy and Climate Change (BECC), Sacramento, California.
16-19 Nov 2008. Parag, Yael
- Cross Policy Learning: Drawing Lessons for Personal Carbon Trading (PCT) Policy from Food Labelling Schemes. Thirteen Annual Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) Research Conference: The Next Decade - What Are the Big Policy Challenges? Los Angeles, CA.
6-8 Nov 2008. Parag, Yael
- Personal Carbon Trading, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies [PDF: 160KB]
Catherine Bottrill, 21st September 2006