Working Together: How to Make Trade Contribute to Climate Action
International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, Information Note No. 18, pp. 1-8, Geneva, November 2013
Queen Mary School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 159/2013
9 Pages Posted: 28 Nov 2013 Last revised: 17 Dec 2013
Date Written: November 26, 2013
Abstract
This paper identifies various areas in which the trade and climate change agendas can cooperate. Both play essential roles in sustainable development, which makes it all the more important to explore their potential for symbiosis. In this context, the paper examines the option of capitalizing on regional trade agreements towards achieving climate goals, the treatment of renewable energy at the World Trade Organization, the development of a single global carbon market with comprehensive coverage of economic sectors and countries, and the potential impact of cohesive energy trade governance, among other possible approaches. Overall, it argues for pragmatic, bottom-up approaches that avoid the pitfalls of multilateralism.
Keywords: climate action, regional trade agreements, climate change mitigation, emissions trading scheme, energy trade, sustainable development, renewable energy, aviation, shipping, WTO
JEL Classification: F13, F14, K33, K32
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation