Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing mankind in the coming years. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that the cause of such change is the emissions of greenhouse gases from human activity. This article examines the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the Kyoto Protocol and the Copenhagen Conference, the ETS regulatory framework, ETS implementation and challenges for EU member states.

This article is part of the PLC multi-jurisdictional guide to environment. For a full list of jurisdictional Q&As visit www.practicallaw.com/environmenthandbook.