ABSTRACT
The rapid development of carbon markets has led to numerous studies on their environmental effects or economic consequences (e.g. Bachram 2004; Bumpus 2011). However, the representations and symbolic transformations of carbon 1 have been less thoroughly studied. The commodification of carbon is a complex social process that enables carbon to become a tradeable credit. I suggest that three particular moments in this process are crucial. The tonne of carbon is first invented and abstracted (Lovell and MacKenzie, this volume), second it is monetised into something sellable, and third it is financialised, transformed into a financial standardised product (see Paterson and Stripple, this volume). Through these processes, carbon takes a variety of forms, varying according to the social and power relations between actors involved. This chapter focuses on one of those moments: the monetisation process.
