Voluntary Carbon Markets Growing Explosively, Totalled Whopping 0.043% Of 2010 Emissions

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The voluntary carbon market posted a 34 percent gain in 2010, trading a record 131 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtC02e). While the US accounted for the majority of trading activity, worth $424 million in total, market growth was strongest in developing countries.

The news comes from Back to the Future: State and Trends of the Voluntary Carbon Markets 2010, an annual report by Ecosystem Marketplace and Bloomberg New Energy Finance. Gathering data from almost 300 market participants, the report analyzes the voluntary carbon market’s organization and growth, as well as project types and buyer motivations.

The US remained the primary participant in voluntary carbon markets in 2010, offering more than one-third of carbon credits and purchasing nearly half of available credits. This is positive news for the US given that last year proved difficult for market participants: failure of the US federal government to act on climate change again contributed to the closure of the Chicago Climate Exchange (CCX) and smaller US markets. However, regional markets in California and the Western Climate Initiative withstood the pressure and gathered support from many US suppliers.

According to the report, the voluntary carbon market seems to be recovering from the economic downturn, and may even emerge stronger as a result of increased emphasis on corporate social responsibility.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2011/0605-moukaddem_carbonmarket.html