State and trends of carbon pricing 2015

With the countdown on to the Paris climate change conference, there is clear evidence of growing momentum to put a price on carbon. The growth of carbon pricing around the world has been substantial. Since January 2012, the number of carbon pricing instruments already implemented or scheduled for implementation has almost doubled, jumping from 20 to 38. Moreover, the share of emissions covered by carbon pricing has increased threefold over the last decade. Currently, about 40 national jurisdictions and over 20 cities, states, and regions—representing almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions—are putting a price on carbon. Together, carbon pricing instruments cover about half of the emissions in these jurisdictions, which translates to about 7 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalent (GtCO2e) or about 12 percent of global emissions.