[May 19, 2021 – Washington, DC] On May 14^th, The Environmental Markets Association release details on changes within the organization and plans for their 25^th year as part of their EMA Member Town Hall.

Board Chairperson, Jack Velasquez of Marex Spectron, opened the virtual event and welcomed members back to EMA’s Silver Anniversary highlighting the deep history and impacts from EMA’s members and the environmental markets industry at large. “Our members know these markets the best. Many of us have sat in on legislative meetings or been a part of policy decisions,” said Velasquez.  

Since 1996, EMA’s mission has focused on promoting market-based solutions to help combat environmental challenges through sound public policy, industry best practices, effective education, and training.

Mr. Velasquez highlighted the immediate need for action and collaboration, “We are in an integral position to unify and amplify our voices with our market principles. The need for education is greater now than it has ever been before.”

The Role of Market Principles 

Beyond the mission, the benefits of EMA’s Market Principles continue to shed light on the massive advantages of well designed, policy driven environmental markets. 

Chairperson Velasquez expanded, “Environmental Markets are accountable and they are enforceable. Their success is trackable. The growth of renewable generation over the course of the last 25 years has been huge. When I started there was under 300 megawatts of wind in the US. The majority of new builds were built on the back of well-designed markets. This is what EMA is about. These are just the environmental benefits. There are massive social benefits that come along with us like job creation and list goes on and on.” 

EMA’s Role Going Forward

“The role of the EMA is to give our members a venue to promote this mission and to use the association as a platform to have their voice heard. Whether you're an energy trader, academic, policymaker, or Sustainability Officer, EMA can equip you with the right market principles that will guide you and help you spread our mantra about properly designed environmental markets,” said Velasquez as he encouraged members to re-engage. “This is how we're going to achieve a carbon neutral world and a clean energy infrastructure. Our priorities going forward are to push tradable markets by educating our trading partners and our policymakers, and the universities and colleges that are teaching the future corporate leaders of America.”