cap and trade
noun /ˌkæp ən ˈtreɪd/
/ˌkæp ən ˈtreɪd/
[uncountable]- a system for controlling carbon emissions and other forms of pollution by setting a limit on the amount any business or organization may produce while allowing them to buy extra capacity from other organizations which have not used their full limit
- Some environmentalists oppose the whole idea of cap and trade.
- The centrepiece of his energy plan was a cap-and-trade system.