GUANGZHOU, Dec. 15 (Xinhua) -- Carbon emissions allowances closed at 76.74 yuan (11.01 U.S. dollars) per tonne on Thursday, 0.58 percent up from Wednesday, at Guangzhou Emissions Exchange, the largest local carbon market in China.

A total of 15,986 tonnes of allowances were transacted on Thursday, with a turnover of 1,226,733.06 yuan.

The allowances, officially known as Guangdong Emissions Allowances (GDEA), are carbon dioxide emissions caps assigned to companies. Firms whose emissions surpass their share must buy extra quotas from authorities or purchase unused quotas on the market from those that cause less pollution.

Since its opening in December 2013, the market has traded about 213.279 million tonnes of GDEA, with a total turnover of about 5.564 billion yuan.