Publications

I4CE contributes to the SWITCH report

14 December 2015 - Foreword of the week

From August to December 2015, Emilie ALBEROLA participated  to the Carbon Roadmap committee set up by SWITCH, the Alliance for a Green Economy in Quebec, composed of environmentalists, industry professionals and experts in economy climate.

The report, titled “Carbon Roadmap, has been released on 9th December in Paris to the premiers of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba, and provides six recommendations.

Recommendation 1 – Market mechanisms in the Paris Climate Agreement

  • SWITCH recommends that the governments of Quebec and Canada advocate the recognition of flexibility mechanisms in the Paris Agreement.

Recommendation 2 – Statement from the Government of Quebec as to how the cap-and-trade system will work beyond 2020

  • SWITCH recommends that the Government of Quebec make a clear statement indicating that the Quebec carbon market (cap-and-trade system) will continue beyond 2020 and will be one of the key tools for reducing GHG emissions.
  • SWITCH requests that the post-2020 regulations be established as soon as possible, especially with respect to reduction requirements for major emitters and the allowance allocation formula for 2021–2030.
  • SWITCH reiterates its calls for the broadening of existing offset protocols and for new protocols to be developed, to the benefit of Quebec businesses. SWITCH also hopes the Quebec cap-and-trade system will recognize carbon offsets from outside its borders in order to promote the growth of Quebec businesses.

Recommendation 3 – Facilitating Ontario’s entry into the Quebec-California carbon market.

Recommendation 4 – Making it esaier for financial intermediaries to understand how the carbon market works and how it affects businesses.

Recommendation 5 – Toward converging carbon markets.

  • SWITCH recommends that Quebec and its Californian and Ontarian partners establish agreements with the Mexico and China emerging carbon markets and with the EU ETS and with a view to the convergence of market rules.

Recommendation 6 – Closely monitoring competitiveness and carbon leakage.

  • SWITCH recommends that competitiveness and carbon leakage be closely monitored due to the emerging patchwork of carbon constraint policies around the world. This monitoring should be conducted with the Quebec, California, and Ontario carbon market in mind.

To download the report.

About: SWITCH, the Alliance for a Green Economy in Quebec, seeks to accelerate the shift towards a green economy in order to build an innovative, resilient and economically competitive society that balances social equality, the environment and quality of life. The Alliance brings together organizations from different economic, financial, non-profit and environmental sectors. For more information: www.allianceswitch.ca

 

To learn more
  • 10/28/2025
    From targets to action: the climate finance agenda needs a new impetus in Belèm

    Ten years after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, what progress has been made to make financial flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development (the ambition set out in Article 2.1(c) of the Agreement)? And what is needed going forward? Although we still lack a comprehensive assessment of progress, this article draws on existing analysis of what can help align financial flows and examines the efforts made by governments and the financial sector to this end. It highlights a development in the debate towards a country-driven approach and a focus on real investment needs. It explores ways to overcome existing barriers to action despite a challenging global context. The article advocates that Article 2.1(c) should be viewed not as a stand-alone provision, but as something that requires full implementation of all the provisions of the Paris Agreement. It also calls for a shift from a target-focused to an action-focused finance agenda and discusses how the COP30 in Belém can contribute to this.

  • 10/24/2025 Foreword of the week
    All hands on deck: Charting a course towards a clean industrial strategy

    One year ago, Mario Draghi warned that Europe was becalmed in treacherous waters. Fading competitiveness, trade disputes to east and west, and a growing political mutiny against the green transition make the way forward hard to navigate. This year, however, the EU has begun to find its bearings – guided by the Competitiveness Compass, with decarbonisation as the north star of the Clean Industrial Deal.

  • 10/24/2025
    The Competitiveness Coordination Tool: How to make better choices in clean industrial policy

    Europe is levelling up its industrial policy. From the Clean Industrial Deal to proposals for a more flexible EU budget, the Commission signals new ambition to build scale in strategic cleantech sectors and strengthen Europe’s decarbonising industrial base. Yet this firepower risks losing impact if spread too thinly. Limited resources demand sharper focus. As the Draghi Report made clear, Europe must act strategically: understand its industrial strengths and vulnerabilities, prioritise the sectors that matter most, and align funds, regulation, and institutional capacity accordingly. 

See all publications
Press contact Amélie FRITZ Head of Communication and press relations Email
Subscribe to our mailing list :
I register !
Subscribe to our newsletter
Once a week, receive all the information on climate economics
I register !
Fermer