Clean Air Conservancy
Encyclopedia
The Clean Air Conservancy is a United States non-profit charity devoted to protecting our planet’s clean air and slowing the pace of climate change by actively participating in pollution market
s and participating in emissions trading
.
The Clean Air Conservancy developed the concept of retiring pollution permanently by transferring pollution rights into a Trust where they are held (or retired) permanently rather than being used to pollute. Since 1992, it has retired nearly 9 billion pounds of pollution.
The Cleveland, Ohio
based non-profit participated in the first major sale of pollution rights, which involved sulphur dioxide allowances traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
under a mandate by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
. The Clean Air Conservancy has served as a leader in guiding and directing pollution markets.
The Clean Air Conservancy represents the public good in pollution markets and strives to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of those markets by maximizing economic incentives for retiring pollution permanently. For example, the Clean Air Conservancy encourages companies to donate their pollution rights so that they can be retired rather than selling them to other companies that would use them to pollute. In exchange for the donation to the Clean Air Conservancy, the company is eligible for a tax deduction.
With the emergence of markets that enable carbon emissions trading, the Clean Air Conservancy is playing an active role in providing individuals and organizations with a way to use market forces to address global warming
. The Clean Air Conservancy enables personal carbon trading
and it helps companies benefit from retiring carbon emission credits rather than selling them.
The Conservancy participated in the first ever air pollution allowance auction in the United States (March 1992) by buying and permanently retiring a portion of the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) emission allowances sold by the Chicago Board of Trade on behalf of the US EPA Acid Rain program. The EPA Acid Rain Program was world’s first mandatory “cap-and-trade” pollution allowance program and it allowed the CAC to pioneer the concept of “retiring” tradable allowances as a tool for reducing harmful air pollution.
Shortly after its founding, the CAC was recognized by Outside magazine as a “Mighty Might” - one of the 10 “best” small environmental non-profit organizations.
In 2001, the Conservancy collaborated with the Olympic Organizing Committee (OOC) on the first major “event greening” by assisting the OOC to calculate the environmental impact of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. The CAC then worked with several large U.S. corporations to donate and retire enough Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrous Oxide (NOx), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission reduction credits to completely offset, or “Net Zero”, the air pollution and greenhouse gas generated by the Winter Olympics.
On September 25, 2008, the Conservancy was one of a few non-profit organizations to participate in the first Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction. It purchased 1,000 short tons of carbon allowances. This marks the Conservancy's shift from the voluntary market to the mandatory market.
On December 17, 2008, the Conservancy participated in the second RGGI auction, purchasing 2,000 short tons of carbon allowances.
On March 13, 2009, founder David Webster died of esophageal cancer. The organization continues on without his guidance.
Pollution market
A Pollution Market is a method of partly internalizing the costs a negative externality by setting up a government designated maximum amount of the specified activity and then auctioning or selling tradable permits to engage in some of the specified activity.For example, in a fictional state,...
s and participating in emissions trading
Emissions trading
Emissions trading is a market-based approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in the emissions of pollutants....
.
The Clean Air Conservancy developed the concept of retiring pollution permanently by transferring pollution rights into a Trust where they are held (or retired) permanently rather than being used to pollute. Since 1992, it has retired nearly 9 billion pounds of pollution.
The Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
based non-profit participated in the first major sale of pollution rights, which involved sulphur dioxide allowances traded on the Chicago Board of Trade
Chicago Board of Trade
The Chicago Board of Trade , established in 1848, is the world's oldest futures and options exchange. More than 50 different options and futures contracts are traded by over 3,600 CBOT members through open outcry and eTrading. Volumes at the exchange in 2003 were a record breaking 454 million...
under a mandate by the United States Environmental Protection Agency
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
. The Clean Air Conservancy has served as a leader in guiding and directing pollution markets.
The Clean Air Conservancy represents the public good in pollution markets and strives to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of those markets by maximizing economic incentives for retiring pollution permanently. For example, the Clean Air Conservancy encourages companies to donate their pollution rights so that they can be retired rather than selling them to other companies that would use them to pollute. In exchange for the donation to the Clean Air Conservancy, the company is eligible for a tax deduction.
With the emergence of markets that enable carbon emissions trading, the Clean Air Conservancy is playing an active role in providing individuals and organizations with a way to use market forces to address global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
. The Clean Air Conservancy enables personal carbon trading
Personal carbon trading
Personal carbon trading is a general term referring to a number of proposed emissions trading schemes under which emissions credits are allocated to adult individuals on a equal per capita basis, within national carbon budgets. Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity...
and it helps companies benefit from retiring carbon emission credits rather than selling them.
History
The Conservancy was founded in 1992 as INHALE (National Healthy Air License Exchange) by Cleveland lawyer David B. Webster.The Conservancy participated in the first ever air pollution allowance auction in the United States (March 1992) by buying and permanently retiring a portion of the Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) emission allowances sold by the Chicago Board of Trade on behalf of the US EPA Acid Rain program. The EPA Acid Rain Program was world’s first mandatory “cap-and-trade” pollution allowance program and it allowed the CAC to pioneer the concept of “retiring” tradable allowances as a tool for reducing harmful air pollution.
Shortly after its founding, the CAC was recognized by Outside magazine as a “Mighty Might” - one of the 10 “best” small environmental non-profit organizations.
In 2001, the Conservancy collaborated with the Olympic Organizing Committee (OOC) on the first major “event greening” by assisting the OOC to calculate the environmental impact of the Salt Lake City Winter Olympic Games. The CAC then worked with several large U.S. corporations to donate and retire enough Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrous Oxide (NOx), and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emission reduction credits to completely offset, or “Net Zero”, the air pollution and greenhouse gas generated by the Winter Olympics.
On September 25, 2008, the Conservancy was one of a few non-profit organizations to participate in the first Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) auction. It purchased 1,000 short tons of carbon allowances. This marks the Conservancy's shift from the voluntary market to the mandatory market.
On December 17, 2008, the Conservancy participated in the second RGGI auction, purchasing 2,000 short tons of carbon allowances.
On March 13, 2009, founder David Webster died of esophageal cancer. The organization continues on without his guidance.
See also
- Acid rainAcid rainAcid rain is a rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it possesses elevated levels of hydrogen ions . It can have harmful effects on plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure. Acid rain is caused by emissions of carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen...
- Air pollutionAir pollutionAir pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
- Carbon emissions trading
- Emission standards
- Flexible MechanismsFlexible MechanismsFlexible mechanisms, also sometimes known as Flexibility Mechanisms or Kyoto Mechanisms), refers to Emissions Trading, the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation. These are mechanisms defined under the Kyoto Protocol intended to lower the overall costs of achieving its emissions targets...
- Global warmingGlobal warmingGlobal warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
- Green tagsGreen tagsRenewable Energy Certificates , also known as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates , are tradable, non-tangible energy commodities in the United States that represent proof that 1 megawatt-hour of electricity was generated...
- Greenhouse gasGreenhouse gasA greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
- Kyoto ProtocolKyoto ProtocolThe Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change , aimed at fighting global warming...
- Personal carbon tradingPersonal carbon tradingPersonal carbon trading is a general term referring to a number of proposed emissions trading schemes under which emissions credits are allocated to adult individuals on a equal per capita basis, within national carbon budgets. Individuals then surrender these credits when buying fuel or electricity...
- Green certificateGreen certificateA Green Certificate - terminology used in Europe - also known as Renewable Energy Certificates in the USA, are a tradable commodity proving that certain electricity is generated using renewable energy sources. Typically one certificate represents generation of 1 Megawatthour of electricity...