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Below are currently active or proposed carbon taxes, cap and trade systems, and carbon offset programs from around the world.

Carbon Tax

• In 1991, Sweden enacted a carbon tax, placing a tax of about $100 per ton of CO2 on the use of oil, coal, natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, gasoline, and aviation fuel used in domestic travel. Industrial users paid half the rate and certain high-energy industries were exempted from the taxes. In 1997, the rate was raised about 50%.
  Carbon emissions trading has been steadily rising in recent years
• In the UK, the Fuel Price Escalator, an incrementally-increasing pollution tax, on retail gasoline in 1993. The increases stopped in 1999 and now the tax represents about 2/3 of the pump price.
• Finland, the Netherlands, and Norway also introduced carbon taxes in the 1990s.
• Italy introduced a carbon tax in late 1998.
• In February of 2008, British Columbia announced its intention to implement a carbon tax that would tax gasoline, diesel, natural gas, coal, propane, and home-heating fuel. It started in July of 2008 with a tax of $10 per ton of carbon emissions, raising to $30 per ton by 2012. Consumers will pay an extra 9 cents per gallon gasoline, raising to 27 cents by 2012. The tax is revenue neutral, resulting in a lowered income and corporate tax rates. Low-income families will also receive an additional annual tax credit of $100 per adult and $30 per child, with everyone getting a $100 payment this year to jump-start the program. The plan is estimated to cut BCs greenhouse gas emissions by 5% by 2020.
• In November of 2006, Boulder, Colorado voted to pass the first US municipal carbon tax that taxed electricity consumption. Proceeds go to fund programs by the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is not a true carbon tax, however, because it taxes electricity consumption, whether its from clean or dirty sources.
• In May 2008, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, which covers nine counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, passed a carbon tax of 4.4 cents per ton.

Cap and Trade

• Carbon emissions trading has been steadily rising in recent years, with 374 million metric tons CO2 equivalent traded in 2005, up from 110 million metric tons in 2004 and 78 metric tons in 2003, according to the World Bank's Carbon Finance Unit. The World Bank estimates the size of the carbon market was $11 billion in 2005, $30 billion in 2006, and $64 billlion in 2007.
• Chicago Climate Exchange allows US corporations to trade CO2 emission allowances under a voluntary scheme.
• 10 Northeastern and mid-Atlantic states held the first American auction of pollution credits. The proceeds will go toward energy conservation and renewable energy programs. The goal is to hold CO2 emissions steady at 188 million tons through 2014, then reduce them to 10% below the current level a decade from now. The group is referred to as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). It covers more than 200 fossil fuel power plants. Some have argued that the cap is too high, but it is pointed out the cap could be lowered if it is too high to have the intended effect.
• The Kyoto Protocol, which came into force in 2005, binds most developed nations to a cap and trade system for the six major greenhosue gases, reducing to an agreed quota that totals a 5.2% reduction in emissions from 1990 levels by the end of 2012. These can be met by actually reducing emissions or by sponsoring carbon projects in other countries. The IPCC estimated a financial effect of 0.1-1.1% of the GDP of trading countries.
• In July 2008, Australia announced a plan to begin a carbon trading system in 2009.
• The European Union Emission Trading Scheme is the largest multi-national greenhouse gas emissions trading scheme in the world was created in conjunction with the Kyoto Protocol. There are currently 25 of the 27 member states participating. Phase I is complete, and regarded as a failure among most, as described above, but Phase II is set to be much more strict and will interface with other Kyoto nations.
• New Zealand passed an emissions trading bill in September of 2008.
• The State of Illinois adopted a trading program, called the Emissions Reduction Market System, for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) for most of the Chicago area in 1997.
• California, six other states, and three Canadian provinces have joined to create the Western Climate Initiative, which has recommended the creation of a regional greenhouse gas control and offset trading program.

Carbon Offsets

• In 2007, the California legislature passed the California Global Warming Solutions Act, which provides methods for dealing with carbon offsets in the manure management, forestry, building energy, SF6, and landfill gas capture industries.
• Renewable Energy Certificates, or "green tags", are credits representing 1,000 KWh of renewable energy that can be sold on the open market for additional profit to those who wish to purchase energy from green sources, but whose local provider uses fossil fuels.