Abstract
The number of emission trading and carbon taxation schemes implemented has grown rapidly over the past decade. Together, they cover approximately 16% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Although more than two-thirds of global GHG emissions are related to household consumption, approaches that directly target households, such as personal carbon trading (PCT), do not play a role in the fight against climate change. This is especially puzzling as measures taken so far are not sufficient to reach the 2 °C target. One clue to solving this puzzle comes from political science in the form of the multiple streams approach, which defines criteria that a policy proposal must meet to become part of the political agenda. Based on these criteria, this article conducts a systematic review on PCT to clarify why PCT does not play a role in the reduction of GHG emissions. The results show that there are three main problems with the PCT proposal. First, scholars often criticize the set-up costs as well as the running costs of such a system. Second, there is no clear consensus within the research community on public acceptance of PCT. Third, it is still unclear whether politicians are receptive to PCT or not.
Highlights
The present decade is essential in the fight against global warming
This is consistent with the observation of Fawcett [38] who mentioned that most research is done on public acceptance of personal carbon trading (PCT)
The results of the review show that the PCT proposal is stuck in the policy stream
Summary
The present decade is essential in the fight against global warming. According to the IPCC, the peak in annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reached in the period between 2020 and 2030, so that the international community has a real chance of meeting the 1.5 ◦ C target [1,2]. Initial efforts to reduce GHG emissions have been made with the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol and the ratification of the Paris Agreement, the successes achieved so far remain sobering. In the period between 2000 and 2010, annual global GHG emissions increased by an average of 2.5 percent per year [1] Even though a lower average growth rate of 1.3 percent was recorded for the following years, the peak of annual GHG emissions does not seem to have been reached yet.
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