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The symposium, titled ‘Individual carbon quotas: a tool for climate policy? Interdisciplinary perspectives’ brought together experts from various disciplines to examine the opportunity, effectiveness, and feasibility of a novel policy proposal: the carbon card. This mechanism seeks to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from individuals through a system of individual carbon quotas. Drawing inspiration from the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), the carbon card would allocate a fixed amount of quotas to each individual, which could then be used to offset the carbon footprint of the goods and services they consume. The discussions during the symposium covered a wide range of topics, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of the issue at hand. A central focus was the role of the State in setting the price of carbon and determining whether the market should have a role in this process. The participants explored historical parallels with rationing systems, drawing attention to the ways in which these systems have been implemented and their potential lessons for the carbon card. A significant part of the debate also centered on the social justice implications of such a policy. Speakers considered how a carbon card could impact different social groups, particularly the most vulnerable, and whether it would lead to a fair distribution of emission reductions. Moreover, questions were raised about the potential infringement of fundamental freedoms and individual rights, as the carbon card could be seen as a form of surveillance or control over personal consumption choices. Overall, the symposium highlighted the complexity of introducing a carbon card system, drawing attention to both the potential benefits, such as reducing individual emissions and promoting awareness of personal environmental impact, and the challenges, including the need for political, economic, and social considerations to be addressed in order to make the policy effective and equitable.