BERLIN, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The German government achieved record revenues of 12.5 billion euros (14.1 billion U.S. dollars) from carbon emissions trading in 2021, the German Environment Agency (UBA) said Wednesday.
"The revenues from CO2 pricing make an important contribution to the implementation of the energy transition, finance climate protection projects and are also used to ease the burden on consumers," said Dirk Messner, president of UBA.
The European Union Emissions Trading System (EU-ETS) generated auction revenues of 5.3 billion euros for the German government last year, twice as much as in 2020, according to UBA.
In addition, around 7.2 billion euros were generated through the sale of certificates in Germany's new National Emissions Trading System (nEHS), which was introduced last year and covers the buildings and transport sectors, according to UBA.
All revenues from carbon trading would go towards the country's energy and climate fund (EKF), "opening up new scope for government support of climate protection measures and are also used to stabilize electricity costs in Germany on a pro rata basis," UBA noted. (1 euro = 1.13 U.S. dollar) ■