Carbon can be emitted, offset, removed, stored and increasingly, traded. But how does carbon trading work and what role does it play in the energy transition?
To answer these questions, co-hosts Mustafa Alrawi and Kelsey Warner are joined by William Pazos, co-founder and managing director at AirCarbon, which has teamed up with Abu Dhabi Global Market, the UAE capital's financial free zone, to create a carbon trading exchange and clearing house.
They discuss the long (and sometimes sordid) history of carbon trading and why skeptics are asking the right questions, as well as the fate of a carbon market in a carbon-neutral world.
In this episode
Where is carbon trading taking place? (1m 54s)
What is carbon trading? (2m 50s)
How does it lower emissions? (9m)
The integrity of carbon trading (12m 10s)
How are carbon credits generated? (17m)
AirCarbon (20m 37s)
Can individuals buy credits? (23m 3s)
Net zero (26m)
Is carbon trading a bridge to the future? (30m)
How much is the industry worth? (31m 44s)
Read more
Abu Dhabi to launch 'world's first' carbon credit trading exchange
Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify and McKinsey to invest $925m in carbon removal technology
Crypto platform's efforts to stop 'useless' carbon offsets backfires
Global low-carbon hydrogen market 'needs $600bn of investment by 2050'
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
