In the last year, the value of carbon credits and volume of trading has decreased.  This has mostly been due to the internationally-felt recession; as profits drop, most corporations would rather spend on traditional investments than become carbon neutral. European-based companies, such as CantorCO2e and Carbon Capital Markets, have had to lay off carbon brokers or shut down their carbon trading entirely because of low demand in the voluntary market.
However, the World Bank reports that despite these setbacks, the carbon market is maturing.  With the Kyoto Protocol expiring in 2012, many have said that carbon credit markets could dissolve then unless governments implement new trading systems.  But increases in corporate interest in the environment internationally, coupled with the popularity of Clean Development mechanisms, have experts saying that the markets will exist and even expand in the coming years. Many companies, faced with European laws limiting GHG emissions, have found offsetting to be a cheaper alternative than curbing emissions in-house. And with the price of carbon remaining consistent, the cost of offsetting will remain a clear and viable option. Hopefully the US, China and India – three of the largest CO2e emitters – will soon be able to set up limits on emissions through a mandatory and economically feasible system like carbon trading.