UK on a mission

The UK's revised national allocation plan for CO2 emissions caps under the European Emissions Trading Scheme is, in general, more lenient on UK industry than January's draft version was, eliciting sighs of relief from some businesses, including the offshore and refining sectors. However, other countries seem likely to give their industries an easier ride, which could damage UK competitiveness and undermine the scheme's contribution to climate-change mitigation. Tom Nicholls writes