Comparing USCAP Recommendations to the EU Emissions Trading System

Side-by-Side Comparison of the USCAP Blueprint for Legislative Action to the EU Emissions Trading System
February 2009

Click here for the document. [1] (pdf)

On January 15, 2009, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP) [2] issued A Blueprint for Legislative Action [3] – a detailed framework for legislation to address climate change that calls for an economy-wide greenhouse gas cap-and-trade program. This document (produced while as the Pew Center on Global Climate Change) provides an accessible comparison between the USCAP plan and the EU-ETS [4] on the following key topics:

• Targets & Timetables
• Scope of Coverage 
• Allowance Allocation
• Offsets
• Other Cap-and-Trade Cost Containment Elements
• Additional Climate Related Measures Related to Coal, Performance Standards, Tranportation, and Energy Efficiency

USCAP is an unprecedented coalition of 5 leading non-governmental organizations, including the Center, and 25 major corporations. This diverse group of business and environmental leaders have come together to call for mandatory action, with a comprehensive approach involving near-, mid-, and long-term targets, and a range of effective policies.