Voluntary Carbon Markets: An International Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work (Environmental Markets Insight Series) [Hardcover]

Ricardo Bayon (Editor), Amanda Hawn (Editor), Katherine Hamilton (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 2009 | ISBN-10: 1844075613 | ISBN-13: 978-1844075614 | Edition: 2

The global carbon markets are growing at a staggering rate. The growth prospects for business are enormous and the potential positive impacts for greenhouse gas emission reductions, climate policy options, renewable energy investment, development projects and efficiency gains are increasingly apparent. A unique part of the market in greenhouse gas emissions is the rapidly growing voluntary carbon market driven by companies, organizations and individuals committed to efficiency, profitability and rapid action on climate change. The second edition of this groundbreaking book draws together all the key information on international voluntary carbon markets with commentary from leading practitioners and business people. It covers all aspects of voluntary carbon markets around the world: what they are, how they work and, most critically, their business potential to help slow climate change. This new, fully revised second edition provides key updates on relevant trends, standards, suppliers, and growth in the marketplace, and is the indispensable guide for anyone seeking to understand voluntary carbon markets and capitalize on the opportunities they present for economic and environmental benefit. Second edition updates: * Contains updated data on credit prices, transaction volumes, major industry players, and other quantitative data through 2008, as well as revised analysis reflecting these shifts * Includes explanations of additional offset project type categories, providing prospective buyers and project developers with a more detailed understanding of the suite of offset projects available * Contains revised explanations and analyses by market experts of the key issues affecting the voluntary markets * Provides an updated 'glance into the future' of the voluntary carbon markets, reflecting market and policy trends that emerged through early 2008.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'This handbook is a useful and practical contribution to helping address the shortcomings of the voluntary markets.' Nature Reports Climate Change 'This book is a brief roller-coaster ride through the system...Overall, a very good introduction to what promises to be a growth area.' Ecological and Environmental Education '[O]ffers a comprehensive introduction to this fast-growing sector, explaining the principles behind the mechanism and the opportunities it presents...Can voluntary carbon trading really reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or is it just a salve for corporate consciences and an elaborate public relations exercise? The book does not offer a single answer, but puts forward an array of opinions from leading environmental and business experts.' Spore 'An essential guide for anyone hoping to learn more about voluntary carbon markets and how they can be of benefit both to our planet and to their organisation.' The Environmentalist 'A realistic snapshot of the divergent views of a wide variety of stakeholders involved in the exploding and controversial carbon offset market.' Organization and Environment 'Gives the first comprehensive overview of the market, outlining and explaining its key ideas and mechanisms...A succinct style, good structure and a wealth of up-to-date information make it an invaluable resource for project developers and investors in Africa and beyond.' Patrick Whyte, Africa Investor '[T]he most significant contributions of the book are the comments about voluntary carbon market made by different professionals, including economists, conservationists, project developers, policy makers, retailers, consultants, investors and banks...Readers interested in carbon markets operations will certainly enjoy the book and libraries will find this book a useful addition.' Social and Environmental Accounting Journal 'This book is an essential source of knowledge, information and ideas. Not only is it comprehensive, covering - for the first time anywhere - everything from renewable energy to the relationship between the voluntary carbon markets and the regulated carbon markets, but it is also thought provoking and visionary: taking a cold hard look at where the industry is likely to go.' Mark Kenber, Policy Director at The Climate Group. 'Politicians should have a copy close by' Crosslands Bulletin 'There is serious concern expressed by many about the whole idea of 'carbon offset'. For anyone considering buying some, either individually or as a company, this book can offer a great deal of food for thought. it is a subject which deserves serious exploration, and this sis given by the book.' Brian Leslie, Sustainable Economics Magazine 'For anyone condiering buying [carbon offsets], either individually or as a company, this book can offer a great deal of food for thought. It is a subject which deserves serious exploration, which is given by this book' Sustainable Economics 'This tightly written little book seeks to explain, in relatively simple terms, what carbon markets are and how they function... [it] tackles key issues and explanations in bite-size chunks which help with digestion and comprehension.' Eagle Bulletin 'A must-read guide... well worth the investment' Journal of Industrial Ecology 'Readers interested in carbon markets operations will certainly enjoy the book and libraries will find this book a useful addition.' TdeA, Social and Environmental Accounting Journal, April 2007. 'The content would benefit any business economist who has not yet begun to think seriously about how his or her business will fare in a carbon-constrained world.' David Grover, The Business Economist Vol.40 'A very useful book for postgraduate students...and an interesting book for business students'. Hing Kai Chan, International Journal of Sustainable Engineering, March 2010 'Overall, Bayon et al. provide a very valuable contribution which is a 'must read' for anyone considering getting involved in voluntary carbon offset transactions or in analysing carbon markets'. Axel Michaelowa, Climate Policy

About the Author

Ricardo Bayon is co-founder of EKO Asset Management Partners. Amanda Hawn is Manager of Advisory services at New Forests. Katherine Hamilton is the Managing Director of Ecosystem Marketplace. This book is a project of Ecosystem Marketplace, which is a project of the non-profit Forest Trends, and the leading source of information on environmental markets and payment schemes for ecosystem services. In particular, we are interested in market-based approaches to the conservation of water-related ecosystem services, carbon sequestration, and the myriad benefits of biodiversity. We believe that by providing solid and trustworthy information on prices, regulation, science, and other market- relevant issues, we can help markets for ecosystem services become a fundamental part of our economic and environmental systems, helping give value to environmental services that have, for too long, been taken for granted.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 2 edition (April 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1844075613
• ISBN-13: 978-1844075614
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #865,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre overview of voluntary markets, December 20, 2007

By 

Kedar Deshpande (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Voluntary Carbon Markets: An International Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work (Environmental Markets Insight Series) (Hardcover)

This book comes across as perfunctory and haphazard in its presentation and in the issues it chooses to highlight (quality issues, regulatory concerns, overlap with other emissions markets). Most of the essays are from start-up firms and independent consultants, who all have their own agendas and opinions, which end up giving the book an air of corporate bias. Most essays are rarely longer than two or three pages and feature little to no historical perspective or comparisons to other, established environmental markets. The book itself has only 120 pages worth of raw material; the rest is filler consisting of company descriptions and pithy emissions-reduction project descriptions which one can find anywhere.

Indeed, most of the information in this book can be gleaned from an hour or two surfing the internet at major carbon and "green" sites, as well as company webpages that specialize in carbon emission reductions.

The essays contain a significant amount of overlap and repetition, and none of them are in-depth enough (qualitatively or quantitatively) to offer true insight; none of the articles have raw numbers or charts about pricing and reductions taking place. To make matters worse, much of the material is already out of date, owing to the fast-growing nature of the voluntary carbon market.

Mark Trexler's two essays (about interactions with the renewable energy credit market and about quality control of voluntary credits) are among the best in the book, but why read them here when they are available for free on the internet?

The slapdash nature of the book and the superficial analysis make this book non-critical. I give this book two stars because it at least serves as some type of introduction to the field, though true experts will find nothing of value in the book.

As a final note, the foreword by Al Gore is short, fluffy and only tangentially refers to voluntary carbon markets at the very end. One would be better off reading his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which is far more substantial.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Voluntary Carbon Markets, August 5, 2007

By 

Susan Holden Martin (New England, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Voluntary Carbon Markets: An International Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work (Environmental Markets Insight Series) (Hardcover)

Excellent primer on the evolving international and US carbon markets, and a vital read for those considering entry.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars it is voluntary [for now], June 14, 2007

By 

W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Voluntary Carbon Markets: An International Business Guide to What They Are and How They Work (Environmental Markets Insight Series) (Hardcover)

The most prominent thing about this book is of course the foreword by Al Gore. But whatever you might think of Gore's political views, the bulk of the text is a sober look at what it means to have a voluntary carbon market. As opposed to having government mandates.

Much of the book is uncertain. Not really about global warming per se. The book does not discuss significantly or really debate whether global warming is real. It is more or less taken as a given. Rather, the book's uncertainly revolves about what types of voluntary trading markets might arise. Voluntary because the US government has not made up its mind about federal requirements. Hence the biggest question is why should a US based company engage in such trading?

Candidly, and this will peeve some readers, it is mostly for public relations at this point in time. The book gives several reasons why it might be beneficial to trade. Like anticipating an eventual government edict about minimising pollution through such trades. So a far sighted multinational might venture a small gamble by engaging in some trades, and loudly touting its green credentials. The book does not come right out and say this. But a careful parsing suggests this view.