CP Daily: Monday October 26, 2015

Presenting CP Daily, Carbon Pulse’s newsletter. It’s a daily summary of our news plus bite-sized updates from around the world. Subscribe here

EU nations raise prospect of reviewing 2030 emission goals after Paris

Several EU environment ministers on Monday called for a review of the bloc’s 2030 emission goals following a successful December UN climate conference, a move that raises the prospect of raising the 40% reduction target or changing plans to give free carbon allowances to industry.

EU nations split on whether to give more free EUAs to industry

EU environment ministers focused on how to best protect their heavy industries by giving them free carbon allowances on Monday, giving scant attention to an idea to earmark ETS cash for poorer nations.

Foreign firms drive trade in Guangdong ETS as low liquidity haunts pilots

Two foreign companies account for as much as 80% of the volume growth in Guangdong’s carbon market in recent months, a conference heard on Monday, with speakers identifying the main factors holding back liquidity in China’s seven pilot schemes.

Eight lignite units to be idled under German reserve plan -ministry

Germany has reached agreements with three utilities to idle eight of their coal-fired power units with total generation capacity of 2.7 GW to help the country hit its 2020 emissions reduction target.

Poland elects eurosceptic party opposing EU emission laws

Poland’s eurosceptic Law & Justice (PiS) party claimed a decisive victory in the country’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, bringing to power a government with senior figures that have said they would push for an opt-out of EU climate policies.

EU Market: Another day, another new high as EUAs rebuff weak auction

European carbon prices recovered from an earlier dip triggered by a weak EU auction result, ending Monday a cent shy of a new three-year high touched in the final hour of trade.

Small, local German utilities are considering taking legal action against the government’s lignite reserve plan, questioning why brown coal should get financial assistance when other generators have invested in a shift away from the high-emitting fuel. Municipal utility group Trianel together with generators in Munich are considering launching a suit, which could eventually be heard by the European Court of Justice, the Rheinische Post newspaper reports (in German).

Developing a CPP strategy will require an enormous amount of work for states, and the EPA is anticipating a slew of requests to extend compliance deadlines two years. To that end, officials say the bar has been intentionally set low to virtually ensure most states requesting extensions can receive one. (Bloomberg/Utility Dive)

Scrapping fossil fuel subsidies could slash CO2 emissions by around 11%, according to a study from the IISD and the Nordic Council of Ministers, which argues that policymakers can no longer ignore the economic savings on offer from drastic reforms in this area. The report estimates that axing fossil fuel subsidies in 20 economies would cut global carbon emissions by 2.8 billion tonnes. (BusinessGreen)

Europe’s main farming lobby Copa Cogeca has warned MEPs the industry will quit the EU if they vote to cap agricultural gas emissions in a crunch European Parliament vote this Wednesday (Oct. 28). The ballow concerns efforts to cap methane and ammonia emissions under the revised National Emission Ceilings (NEC) Directive. The lobby group argues they are better dealt with under the upcoming non-ETS Directive review. (Euractiv)

Developing nations are pushing for climate-related migration to feature more prominently in a new UN treaty, as statistics show that one person is displaced by natural disasters every second. (Thomson Reuters Foundation)

Bikini Atoll islanders who were relocated before the U.S. began nuclear tests in the 1940s are now seeking refuge in the U.S., saying the rising seas and stronger storms brought on by climate change are making their new homes in the Marshall Islands uninhabitable. (Bloomberg)

And finally… The wait is finally over for European climate policy wonks, as the much-anticipated new book by Jos Delbeke (the European Commission’s top climate change official) and Peter Vis (head of cabinet under former EU climate chief Connie Hedegaard) hit the proverbial shelves today. There have been unconfirmed reports of people in Harry Potter- and Star Wars-esque attire queueing for days outside publisher Routledge’s offices worldwide. Pick up a copy from Routledge.com, or take your pick of hardcover, paperback and Kindle editions on Amazon. Carbon Pulse’s Ben and Mike have already got theirs.