A growing number of countries are implementing GHG emissions trading schemes from the regional and national to the local level. However even as the number of different schemes grow, there are still few linkages between them. Major cap-and-trade proposals are undergoing important stages in their development, especially in the United States, Japan and Australia, some of which explicitly emphasize the aim of linking up to other schemes, and one of the strategic goals of European climate policy is linking the EU ETS with other comparable schemes.
The research presented in this volume on actual economic, political and institutional constraints and implications is now essential examining the role of linking trading schemes for the development of the post-Kyoto climate architecture and for increasing linkage between schemes. The research will be relevant to the scientific community and for policymakers who are involved in the design of emerging trading scheme and offset mechanisms, as well as in designing the post Kyoto climate regime.