Sectoral coverage and prices of carbon pricing mechanisms introduced since 1990

For information on the data and sources, see  Dolphin, G., Xiahou, Q. World carbon pricing database: sources and methods. Sci Data 9, 573 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01659-x

Over the last 30 years, the number of jurisdictions that have implemented a carbon pricing mechanism has grown significantly. Today, 43 national and 32 subnational jurisdictions have such a mechanism in at least one sector. However, a standardized and centralized record of the sectoral scope and prices applied to CO₂ emissions by these mechanisms is lacking.

This dataset provides an essential contribution to filling that gap. It covers mechanisms introduced since 1990 at the national and subnational levels and is the most comprehensive attempt at providing a systematic description of carbon pricing mechanisms in terms of their sectoral (and fuel) scope and the associated price signal.

A key feature of this dataset is that it provides information structured by territorial jurisdiction, not carbon pricing mechanism. This is achieved by mapping information available for each mechanism onto jurisdictions. It should prove of interest to a wide range of parties, including academic researchers, policy analysts, and interested civil society organizations.