[Donaldson Tan]

Not everybody believes that the trading of emission permit will save our environment, as evidently indicated in the youtube below. Some even claim that it carbon trading rewards polluters - a clear sign that rationality does not necessary exist in the minds of protesters against carbon trading. The incident documented in the video happened during the recent Carbon Market Insight at New York in October 2007. On the hand, I interpret this video as an evidence that even environmentalists have realised that carbon trading has grown into a market force that cannot be ignored.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/aQaciEMMmKg&amp;rel=1&amp;border=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/aQaciEMMmKg&amp;rel=1&amp;border=1</a>

Although voluntary carbon markets have grown considerably in USA, I think it has no long term sustainability due to the lack of high-quality carbon credits. Moreover, these carbon credits are issued by a quasi-regulatory body that do not have legal authority to regulate. However, its quasi-regulatory power comes from legally-binding compliance when a participant signs up to be part of the carbon market. However, the legitimacy of a carbon credit not only stems from additionality requirements of credible emission reduction projects and a transparent carbon registry, but most importantly, its legitimacy comes from government regulation, heavy-handed scruntinisation and environmental integrity. The lack of government regulation in the USA carbon markets will continue to be an obstacle to future growth of American carbon markets and most importantly act as a source of regulation uncertainty for American businesses.

[tasmodevil44]

I think that(and it's only just my opinoin)carbon trading and carbon credits is all a joke.It will do very little or nothing at all to fix global warming because there's too much potential for loopholes and abuses of it,including the free market and free market forces being driven haywire for the worse because of it.

[Yggdrasil]

In principle, carbon trading is not a bad idea, but in practice, it will probably be another way for the government to hand out money to large corporations.  I understand the idea of using the carrot and the stick, but the US environmental policy needs less carrot and more stick.