{"query_echo":{"q":"","filters":{"geography":["Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation"]},"warnings":[{"code":"facet_value_not_in_vocabulary","message":"Value 'Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation' for facet 'geography' is not in the controlled vocabulary."}]},"total":{"value":3,"relation":"eq"},"page":1,"page_size":20,"self":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/api/v1/search?geography=Asia-Pacific+Economic+Cooperation","stability":"beta","ai_marking":{"digital_source_type":{"uri":"http://cv.iptc.org/newscodes/digitalsourcetype/trainedAlgorithmicMedia","name":"Created using Generative AI"},"notice":"Summary and key insights are generated using artificial intelligence."},"results":[{"id":"tess-000029","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/tess-000029","title":"Enabling the Clean Energy Transition through Trade and Cooperation","publisher":{"name":"Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs","organization":"forum-on-trade-environment-the-sdgs"},"document_type":"research paper","language":"en","date_published":"2025-07-21","source_url":"https://tessforum.org/latest/enabling-the-clean-energy-transition-through-trade-and-cooperation","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The paper examines how trade policy can accelerate the clean energy transition by expanding access to renewable technologies. It highlights the role of the APEC List of Environmental Goods and the need to address non-tariff measures and global value chain complexities. The author advocates for a comprehensive approach that includes preferential treatment for components and services to reduce the cost and increase the efficiency of renewable energy deployment.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"The growth of the digital economy, including AI, data centres, and cryptocurrencies, is significantly increasing electricity demand, which the International Energy Agency expects will nearly double between 2022 and 2026.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The APEC List of Environmental Goods has reduced tariffs to 5% or less on 54 goods; 15 of these are directly related to renewable energy and account for approximately 48% of APEC exports and 43% of APEC imports from that list.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Despite tariff reductions, renewable energy products face significant non-tariff barriers, including quantitative restrictions, export and import formalities, and technical regulations that may exceed safety requirements.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Recent trade agreements are targeting environmental goods to promote liberalization, such as the New Zealand-UK agreement covering 293 environmental goods and the Singapore-Australia green economy agreement covering 372 environmental goods.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"A global value chain approach is necessary because renewable technologies are complex; for example, a wind turbine requires at least 8,000 parts, and non-tariff measures like local content requirements can hinder producers by targeting these underlying components.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The APEC Reference List of Environmental and Environmentally Related Services identifies seven sectors beneficial for clean energy, including engineering services for power plants and general construction of dams and power lines.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000029#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["renewable energy","clean technology","energy efficiency","greenhouse gas emissions","electric vehicle","wind power","solar energy","biomass","geothermal energy","trade policy"],"geography_discussed":["Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation","New Zealand","United Kingdom","Singapore","Australia"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["policy analysis"]},{"id":"tess-000106","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/tess-000106","title":"Promoting and Facilitating Trade in Environmental Goods and Services: Lessons From Regional Trade Agreements","publisher":{"name":"Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs","organization":"forum-on-trade-environment-the-sdgs"},"document_type":"research paper","language":"en","date_published":"2022-06","source_url":"https://lyrical-cormorant.files.svdcdn.com/production/assets/images/Publications/TESS-Technical-Paper-Promoting-and-Facilitating-Environmental-Goods-and-Services.pdf?dm=1678460883","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","geography_discussed","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The paper analyzes how regional trade agreements (RTAs) act as 'incubators' for promoting trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) in the absence of significant multilateral progress at the WTO. It examines various RTA approaches to defining EGS, implementing market access commitments, coordinating regulations, and providing support measures for developing countries. The authors highlight that RTAs often go beyond WTO rules, utilizing tools like specific EGS lists, 'ex-outs' for precise product classification, and sectoral chapters to address non-tariff barriers. These regional experiences are presented as potential models for the WTO's Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussion (TESSD) and the Informal Dialogue on Plastics Pollution and Environmentally Sustainable Plastics Trade (IDP).","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have become the primary venue for promoting trade in environmental goods and services (EGS) because multilateral efforts at the WTO stalled after 2011.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"RTAs use three main methods to incorporate EGS provisions: horizontal chapters (often non-binding and excluded from dispute settlement), individual schedules of commitments, and dedicated sectoral chapters or annexes for specific technologies.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Defining environmental goods is a major challenge; while some RTAs use broad liberalization, others use specific lists, such as the 2012 APEC voluntary commitment of 54 goods, the ANZTEC list of 132 goods, and the New Zealand-UK FTA list of 293 HS subheadings.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"To address 'dual-use' concerns where goods have both environmental and non-environmental applications, RTAs employ 'ex-outs'—additional product specifications that go beyond the 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) level.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-4","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Environmental services are often too narrowly defined by the UN's Central Product Classification (CPC) Division 94; RTAs address this by including services related to specific EGS lists or using 5-digit CPC 'ex-outs'.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-5","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"RTAs address non-tariff barriers through regulatory cooperation, including the harmonization of standards, mutual recognition of conformity assessments, and the use of international standards (such as ISO and IEC).","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-6","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Some RTAs implement more stringent disciplines on local content requirements and subsidies than the WTO, such as the CPTPP's prohibition of performance requirements for all investors.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-7","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The New Zealand-UK FTA includes advanced provisions to eliminate harmful fossil fuel subsidies and end new direct financial support for fossil fuel energy in non-parties, unless aligned with the Paris Agreement.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-8","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Green public procurement is identified as a powerful tool to drive EGS demand, and many RTAs allow parties to set environmental criteria in procurement, though they generally do not expand the scope of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-9","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"Support measures for developing countries in RTAs typically focus on the transfer of environmental technology and capacity building, often through 'best endeavour' clauses rather than hard obligations.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"tess-000106#insight-10","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["sustainable procurement","fossil fuel subsidy","technology transfer","capacity building","climate finance","renewable energy","circular economy","sustainable development"],"geography_discussed":["Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation","New Zealand","United Kingdom","European Union","United States","Canada","Mexico","Taiwan","Indonesia","Singapore","Vietnam"],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["policy review","comparative analysis"]},{"id":"iisd-000729","url":"https://climateinsightsdirectory.org/document/iisd-000729","title":"Options for Taking Forward a Potential Voluntary Standstill Commitment on Inefficient Fossil Fuel Subsidies","publisher":{"name":"International Institute for Sustainable Development","organization":"international-institute-for-sustainable-development"},"document_type":"research paper","language":"en","date_published":"2021-12-29","source_url":"https://www.iisd.org/publications/voluntary-standstill-commitment-inefficient-fossil-fuel-subsidies","generator":"Climate Insights Directory","generated_fields":["summary","key_insights","climate_tags","analysis_type"],"summary":{"text":"The study examines potential mechanisms for a voluntary standstill on inefficient fossil fuel subsidies within APEC, proposing inventory-based, value-based, or hybrid approaches to ensure subsidies do not increase and to complement existing reform efforts.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"iisd-000729#summary","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},"key_insights":[{"text":"A voluntary standstill on inefficient fossil fuel subsidies can prevent these subsidies from increasing and exacerbating adverse impacts, while complementing individual reform efforts already being undertaken by APEC economies.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"iisd-000729#insight-1","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"The study proposes three primary options for implementing a voluntary standstill: an inventory-based approach where economies commit to not adding new items to a list of inefficient subsidies; a value-based approach that prohibits the financial value of subsidies from increasing relative to a baseline; or a hybrid approach combining both methods.","ai_generated":true,"unit":"iisd-000729#insight-2","date_modified":"2026-10-23"},{"text":"For a hybrid standstill model, the study suggests using an inventory-based approach for categories such as tax expenditure, direct transfer of funds, transfer of risk, and under-pricing of goods and services, while applying a value-based approach to induced transfers (price support).","ai_generated":true,"unit":"iisd-000729#insight-3","date_modified":"2026-10-23"}],"climate_tags":["fossil fuel subsidy","trade policy"],"geography_discussed":[],"frame_perspective":[],"analysis_type":["policy options analysis"]}]}