International Carbon Markets

International Carbon Markets

Far North Carbon

New Zealand's scheme is unusual: it lets forestry earn without a cap, it covers all gases, and it is not linked to any other market. Europe's scheme has a hard cap and higher prices. Australia dropped its carbon price and later built a different kind of scheme.

This guide compares prices and design across the main schemes and carbon taxes, explains why the scheme was cut off from international units after the price collapse, and looks at the Paris Agreement route to a future link and which countries might be partners.

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Have you thought about

Sequestration

  • What to consider when joining the ETS for forestry

    Climate
    Emissions reduction
    Forestry
    Greenhouse gas
    Sequestration

    Learn about joining the forestry section of New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

  • The NZ ETS Explained

    Climate
    Compliance
    Policy
    Sequestration

    How the Emissions Trading Scheme works and who is in it.

  • Understanding carbon offsets

    Climate
    Biodiversity
    Emissions reduction
    Forestry
    Sequestration
    Sustainability

    Learn how tree planting on farms can earn carbon credits in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Policy

  • Government and climate change

    Climate
    Adaptation
    Emissions reduction
    Greenhouse gas
    Policy
    Resilience

    Learn about New Zealand's climate action, emissions targets, and agricultural pricing strategy.

  • Native forests and the cost of carbon - An opportunity

    Climate
    Biodiversity
    Conservation
    Forestry
    Policy
    Sequestration
    Sustainability

    Professor Tim Flannery discusses native forests, carbon capture, and climate solutions in NZ.

Emissions reduction

  • Reducing impacts of climate change

    Climate
    Biodiversity
    Emissions reduction
    Forestry
    Regeneration
    Sequestration
    Sustainability

    Learn about the role tree planting can play in reducing climate change impacts.

  • The New Zealand Wine Company and carbon neutrality

    Climate
    Emissions reduction
    Energy
    Horticulture
    Innovation
    Market access
    Profitability
    Sustainability
    Viticulture

    The New Zealand Wine Company shares its journey to carbon neutrality and sustainable practices.

  • a2™ Farm Sustainability Fund

    Climate
    Biodiversity
    Community
    Conservation
    Dairy
    Emissions reduction
    Resilience
    Soil
    Sustainability

    The a2™ Farm Sustainability Fund supports eco-friendly dairy farm projects in NZ and Australia.

An alternative perspective

  • A guide to mapping forest land in the ETS

    Whenua
    Emissions reduction
    Forestry
    Sustainability

    Get guidance on mapping your forest areas to assess eligibility for the Emissions Trading Scheme.

  • Land Use and Carbon Analysis System (LUCAS) Land Use Map

    Whenua
    Emissions reduction
    Forestry
    Policy
    Sequestration
    Sustainability

    LUCAS is a national dataset that tracks carbon sequestration and land use change over time.

Explore related content

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The two ways the ETS counts a forest's carbon, and which applies.

Emissions Trading Scheme - Transaction trends

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Greenhouse gas
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View monthly trends in New Zealand's Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) transactions.

Climate Action Tracker New Zealand assessment

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See how independent analysts rate New Zealand's climate policy as highly insufficient

Carbon forestry with regenerating natives

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Find out how to convert marginal or depleted agricultural land into native forests for carbon farming.

Carbon Sequestration by Native Forests

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Emissions reduction
Forestry
Regeneration
Sequestration
Sustainability

Find out about carbon sequestration rates in native forests and planting methods in New Zealand.

Tax Treatment of Carbon Income

Climate
Agribusiness
Compliance
Profitability

When carbon units are taxed, and how to plan the sales.

Trees for Carbon

Climate
Emissions reduction
Forestry
Sustainability

Find out more about tree farming for carbon credits.

Soil health and carbon

Climate
Regeneration
Sequestration
Soil

Discover why New Zealand's soil already holds so much carbon, and why more is hard to add.

Carbon Look-up Tables Explained

Climate
Compliance
Forestry
Sequestration

The standard tables that set a smaller forest's carbon earnings.

Challenges and opportunities with native forestry on Māori land

Climate
Biodiversity
Collaboration
Erosion
Forestry
Governance
Regeneration
Sequestration
Sustainability
Whenua Māori

This paper explores challenges and opportunities for Māori landowners in native forestry.