The European Union accounts for over 80% of global revenues from emissions trading systems.

Omissions

• No source found quantifies the European Union's share of global revenues from emissions trading systems specifically, which is the exact metric claimed.
• The only global revenue figure located (World Bank, State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026) covers carbon taxes AND emissions trading systems combined (over US$107 billion in 2025), a broader denominator than the claim's ETS-only metric.
• The underlying statement attributed to the Lufthansa CEO could not be located, so the original wording and its exact metric (ETS revenues vs. total carbon-pricing/carbon-cost burden) remain unverified.
• The EU ETS revenue figure found (€38.8 billion in 2024, European Commission) and the global carbon pricing revenue figure (over US$107 billion in 2025, World Bank) are the closest available data and are close to the session date, but they do not allow the claimed share to be computed.

Sources

• PrimaryEuropean Commission — Auctioning of allowances (EU ETS)"Since 2013, the EU ETS generated over €230 billion in auction revenues. In 2024 alone, the system generated a total of €38.8 billion in auction revenues."
• PrimaryEuropean Commission — The EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)"Since 2013, the EU ETS has generated more than €270 billion in revenues, with around three quarters allocated to Member States."
• PrimaryWorld Bank — State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026"Carbon pricing now covers nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon pricing mobilized over $107 billion for public budgets in 2025."
• PrimaryICAP — EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) factsheet"EUR 265.7 billion (USD 297.1 billion) since the beginning of the system - Includes revenues from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and the UK"
• SecondaryVertis — World Bank State and Trends of Carbon Pricing 2026 (summary)"In 2025, government revenues generated from ETSs and carbon taxes increased by 2%, exceeding US$107 billion globally."