EU’s carbon border tax will test appetite for global climate action

By Adam Vaughan

An unprecedented and controversial carbon tax will be applied to goods imported to the European Union from 2026, the flagship measure in a sweeping suite of European Commission policies unveiled today to meet the bloc’s 2030 climate target.

The tax will mean companies importing iron and steel, aluminium, cement, fertilisers and electricity to the EU will have to buy a certificate for every tonne of carbon dioxide embedded in their goods. In theory, it puts importers’ costs on a …