Microsoft said on Wednesday, December 20, that it had reached an agreement with carbon offset startup Chestnut Carbon. Microsoft will receive carbon credits from Chestnut Carbon for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in order to fulfill Microsoft's commitment to environmental sustainability. Ben Dell, founder of Chestnut Carbon, pointed out that compared to other projects that generate carbon credits by protecting trees, Chestnut Carbon will plant new trees on qualified land, thereby removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and creating environmental benefits. . Microsoft's partnership with Chestnut Carbon will give Microsoft 15-year carbon credits for the amount of carbon emissions Chestnut Carbon removes through reforestation in the Mississippi flood plain. Microsoft expects to receive its first carbon credits within three years, once the newly planted trees are mature enough to remove carbon dioxide. Microsoft views the carbon removal plan as a key strategy to implement its 2030 carbon negative goal. To date, Microsoft has signed contracts with external parties for more than 1.4 million tons of carbon removal projects, including reforestation projects and carbon capture projects. Microsoft did not disclose the budget for its partnership with Chestnut Carbon, but said the project would be able to reduce carbon emissions by up to 2.7 million tons. Chestnut Carbon said that cooperation with Microsoft will help them purchase new land and develop new carbon removal projects. Source: R

Abstract: This article collects and analyzes the promotion and practice of the Clean Competition Act (CCA) in the United States. It mainly investigates and collects information about the U.S. regulations on the Act and its impact on Taiwanese companies, and provides suggestions on how companies can respond. Secondly, this article also summarizes the comparison between the European Union (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, CBAM) and the US CCA to help small and medium-sized enterprises respond to the carbon tariff policies released by Europe and the United States as soon as possible. 1. Overview of the bill: In June 2022, the U.S. Senate proposed the Clean Competition Act to implement carbon border adjustments on energy-intensive imported products. It is expected to impose carbon tariffs on U.S.-made products and U.S. importers starting in 2024, including Refining, petrochemicals, fertilizers, cement, steel and aluminum. What is different from the EU CBAM is the baseline for carbon tariff calculation and the objects to be levied. The US CCA Act charges carbon fees for importers and domestic manufacturers, but domestic manufacturers can obtain tax rebates when exporting to other countries; the calculation method is based on the US Department of the Treasury. The reported information is used to calculate the average carbon content of each category of U.S. products as the baseline for levying carbon taxes. If the manufacturer's carbon intensity exceeds the carbon intensity baseline applicable to the U.S. industry, it must pay carbon tax on the excess. . In addition, the baseline will be adjusted downward by 2.5% every year starting from 2025, and by 5% every year after 2029. It is worth noting that exports to the United States are taxable

The British government announced that it expects to impose a carbon tax on imported products such as aluminum, steel and cement from 2027 to improve the carbon leakage problem and prevent local companies from being harmed by overseas manufacturers. The British Treasury said that the upcoming carbon tax will help improve carbon leakage, that is, companies shift production to countries with environmental regulations or lower production costs. Specifically, this carbon tax policy will create a level playing field for British domestic manufacturers, allowing local British companies that value environmental protection to compete fairly with overseas companies that have higher carbon emissions but lower production costs. British Finance Minister Jeremy Hunt pointed out that "a carbon tax will ensure that high-carbon products from overseas (such as steel and ceramics) have a consistent carbon emission cost with products produced in the UK, while promoting the reduction of global carbon emissions." However, British Steel (British Steel) criticized the government for its slow pace of policy promotion, which is one year slower than the European Union's CBAM. However, Gareth Stace, director general of UK Steel, pointed out that the newly formulated carbon tax policy is correct and will help create a level playing field for the British steel industry. Source: euronews.green

Abstract: As the challenge of global climate change becomes increasingly severe, in addition to the increasing attention of governments around the world on issues related to global environmental protection and sustainable development, companies have also responded to their greenhouse gas reduction responsibilities. my country passed the Climate Change Response Act in February this year (112), clearly setting a net-zero emissions target for 2050 and authorizing the formulation of sub-laws and regulations related to carbon pricing and management. In order to encourage companies to implement net-zero emission goals, the government will launch the operation of carbon rights and carbon trading markets to assist companies in their net-zero transformation and reduce the impact of climate change. Although most government carbon reduction policies prioritize large enterprises or emission sources for control, small and medium-sized enterprises are still part of the supply chain and must also face carbon reduction requirements from customers. Therefore, small and medium-sized enterprises must also keep abreast of international trends (CBAM, etc.) and relevant domestic regulations (such as carbon fee collection, reduction credit transfer, trading or auction, etc.) to understand the risks and impacts on themselves and make corresponding countermeasures , carry out net-zero transformation as early as possible and create green business opportunities. 1. Background: As the challenge of global climate change becomes increasingly severe, in addition to the increasing attention of governments around the world on issues related to global environmental protection and sustainable development, companies have also responded to their greenhouse gas reduction responsibilities. In addition, in response to major international countries' promotion of net-zero emissions-related goals, strategies and mechanisms, China passed the Climate Change Response Act in February this year (112). In addition to enshrining the 2050 net-zero emissions target into law, it also authorized Formulate sub-laws and regulations related to carbon pricing and management, such as total control and allocation, carbon fees