ClearBlue Knowledge Base

ClearBlue’s Market Intelligence Service: Empowering Carbon Market Strategies

Written by Laurie Smith | Dec 12, 2024 5:58:18 PM

In this Spotlight interview, ClearBlue’s Chief Market Intelligence Officer, Jennifer McIsaac shares how the team helps clients navigate the complexities of global carbon markets. By providing actionable insights through the AI-powered Vantage platform, they enable clients to anticipate market trends, understand price drivers, and optimize strategies for both compliance and voluntary markets. Learn how their expertise turns data into decisive action in an ever-changing industry.

(Originally posted December 12, 2024 and updated July 21, 2025)

ClearBlue Markets (CBM): What service does the Market Intelligence team provide?

Jennifer McIsaac (JM): The mission of the Market Intelligence team is to help clients understand carbon markets as they stand today and how they are expected to evolve. The MI team’s expertise spans compliance and voluntary carbon markets, plus the overlap between the two  - as international project-based credits are increasingly in the spotlight tied to Article 6, CORSIA and other schemes. All research is delivered through ClearBlue’s AI-powered Vantage platform, which consolidates critical market data and trends into actionable intelligence. We can help clients at all levels of carbon market engagement: from those looking for high-level benchmarking and monitoring all the way through to our most sophisticated data and tools for modeling and trading. Access to ClearBlue’s analysts is also available with our subscription packages.

We analyze and explain the factors driving price movements in allowances, offsets, and other credits. These factors include regulatory, technical, fundamental, and behavioral developments affecting supply and demand. Long-term supply-and-demand insights and price outlooks enable clients to anticipate market direction and optimize their strategies.

In addition to ongoing reports and pricing data available through Vantage, we deliver timely analysis of market-impacting news and events. Clients also gain exclusive access to frequent Market-by-Market webinars, where analysts provide in-depth insights into specific markets.

(CBM) How does this differ from ClearBlue's Advisory service?

(JM) With a Market Intelligence subscription, all clients receive access to identical data and insights from their subscription package simultaneously via the Vantage platform. In contrast, Advisory services deliver custom solutions tailored to individual client needs, often using proprietary data. While Market Intelligence subscription packages can be customized, Advisory provides highly personalized tools, such as position optimization designed to maximize value and mitigate risks. These bespoke solutions are often enhanced by leveraging Market Intelligence forecasts and other data via the Vantage platform.

(CBM) Who comes to you for these services?

(JM) The Market Intelligence team serves a diverse range of clients across market sectors, including covered emitters, project developers, and investors, whether they face compliance obligations or not.

For instance, we have subscription services that are well-suited to clients who are new to carbon markets or primarily seeking to monitor trends and trade at key points during the year. At the same time, we can also support the most sophisticated and active players who use our research and data, often integrating it directly into their systems through API access to develop robust, data-driven strategies.

(CBM) What is most challenging for clients when navigating the carbon markets?

(JM) The primary challenge for clients is understanding the varied and constantly evolving drivers of the carbon markets, particularly the regulatory frameworks. Each market operates under its own set of rules and dynamics, and regulators frequently conduct program reviews. The regulatory landscape, along with other supply and demand drivers, determines the market price. Market Intelligence translates all relevant drivers into our market price views for the near and longer term.

(CBM) How do clients use ClearBlue's Market Intelligence to improve their carbon strategies?

(JM) Clients rely on Market Intelligence for insights into current carbon market prices and future trends. There is no single global price for carbon; moreover, the effective price of carbon for covered entities differs across and within programs. ClearBlue allows clients to plan their compliance and investment strategies with greater confidence, ensuring alignment with both market conditions and long-term goals.

(CBM) What is most interesting about this work?

(JM) The Market Intelligence team thrives on connecting the dots and synthesizing diverse information sources to derive meaningful insights and create forecasts. Our Vantage platform enables us to process and analyze thousands of data points simultaneously, helping us identify emerging patterns and trends across global carbon markets.

Carbon markets remain dynamic, influenced by geopolitical and economic factors that drive price volatility. It’s rewarding to leverage advanced tools and expertise to make sense of this complexity for our clients, empowering them to act decisively in an ever-changing landscape.

(CBM) What carbon markets do you cover globally? 

(JM) ClearBlue Markets offers comprehensive services across a wide array of carbon markets globally, including:

The Americas:

United States:

  • Western Climate Initiative (WCI)
  • Washington's Cap-and-Invest Program and Clean Fuel Standard (CFS)
  • California’s Low Carbon Fuels Program (LCFS)
  • Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
  • Compliance Offsets in WCI and Washington
  • Washington's Cap-and-Invest Program and Clean Fuel Standard (CFS)
  • Oregon's Clean Fuels Program
  • Emerging New York Cap-and-Invest
  • Federal incentives and programs

Canada:

  • Federal Output-Based Pricing System (OBPS)
  • Federal Clean Fuel Standard (CFS)
  • Provincial programs such as Ontario's Emission Performance Standard (EPS), Quebec's Cap & Trade (WCI), Alberta's Technology Innovation and Emission Reduction (TIER), British Columbia's Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS), New Brunswick's OBPS, and renewable fuels regulations in Alberta and Ontario

Mexico and South America:

  • Assistance with voluntary carbon markets and compliance with carbon tax schemes in countries like Colombia and Chile

Europe, Asia, Africa, Oceania:

Europe:

  • EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS)
  • EU Emissions Trading System 2 (EU ETS 2)
  • UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS)
  • Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
  • Certificats d'Économie d'Énergie (CEE)
  • Guarantees of Origin (GO)
  • Biofuel Certificates

Asia and Oceania:

  • China Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
  • South Korea ETS
  • Australia and New Zealand ETS

Africa:

  • Support for companies subject to South Africa's carbon tax

Voluntary Carbon Market:

Finally, ClearBlue Markets provides services for clients engaging in the voluntary carbon market, offering support from planning and strategy development to full offset procurement strategies.

  • Global Voluntary Carbon market
  • The Calyx-ClearBlue Carbon Price-Integrity Index
  • Article 6/PACM
  • CORSIA

Contact us for more information about our Market Intelligence subscriptions and services.