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critical currents
Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation Occasional Paper Series

Carbon Trading How it works and why it fails

no.7
November 2009

critical currents no.7 November 2009

Carbon Trading
How it works and why it fails

Tamra Gilbertson and Oscar Reyes

Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation Uppsala 2009

The Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation pays tribute to the memory of the second Secretary General of the UN by searching for and examining workable alternatives for a socially and economically just, ecologically sustainable, peaceful and secure world. In the spirit of Dag Hammarskjöld’s integrity, his readiness to challenge the dominant powers and his passionate plea for the sovereignty of small nations and their right to shape their own destiny, the Foundation seeks to examine mainstream understanding of development and bring to the debate alternative perspectives of often unheard voices. By making possible the meeting of minds, experiences and perspectives through the organising of seminars and dialogues, the Foundation plays a catalysing role in the identification of new issues and the formulation of new concepts, policy proposals, strategies and work plans towards solutions. The Foundation seeks to be at the cutting edge of the debates on development, security and environment, thereby continuously embarking on new themes in close collaboration with a wide and constantly expanding international network.

Critical Currents is an Occasional Paper Series published by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation. It is also available online at www.dhf.uu.se. This issue of Critical Currents is published in cooperation with Carbon Trade Watch (www.carbontradewatch.org), the Transnational Institute (www.tni.org) and The Corner House (www.thecornerhouse.org.uk). It is based on Carbon Trading: a critical conversation on climate change, privatization and power, edited by Larry Lohmann and published as Development Dialogue no. 47 in 2006. Statements of fact or opinion are those of
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