Ökologischer Handel

The document examines the tensions between trade liberalization and climate goals, proposing that the EU integrate ambitious environmental standards into trade agreements and that WTO rules be subordinated to international climate agreements.

• The transport sector alone is responsible for one third of total greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating that EU trade policy specifically address this issue.
• Simple 'Food Miles' labels can be misleading because they ignore the total carbon footprint of production; for example, Kenyan roses can cause 80% less CO2 than Dutch roses due to natural climatic conditions, and New Zealand lamb can produce 70% less CO2 than UK-produced lamb when transport is included.
• Liberalizing trade in 'environmental goods and services'—such as solar cells, wind turbines, and energy-efficient appliances—could aid climate protection by lowering costs and promoting the export of green technologies.
• The EU could reduce CO2 emissions by implementing stricter energy efficiency standards for household appliances, which would force manufacturers (including those in China, which produces 40% of the world's microwaves) to raise standards globally.
• Friends of the Earth argues that the current 'free market' ideology and EU's 'Global Europe' framework act as drivers of climate change by prioritizing competitiveness and deregulation over sustainable production and consumption patterns.
• Intellectual property rights are identified as a barrier to the diffusion of clean technologies in developing countries; the report suggests 'TRIPs-minus' agreements to facilitate technology transfer.
• There is significant legal uncertainty regarding whether climate measures, such as carbon footprint labeling or border tax adjustments, are compatible with WTO rules, leading to a 'chilling effect' on climate policy.
• The Socialist Group proposes that the EU commit to an 80% reduction in CO2 emissions post-Kyoto and suggests that WTO rules should be clearly subordinated to the climate change agreement.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2008). Ökologischer Handel. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TRADE_Climate_DE_Jul08.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Ökologischer Handel. 2008. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TRADE_Climate_DE_Jul08.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Ökologischer Handel |date=2008 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TRADE_Climate_DE_Jul08.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2008kologischer, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Ökologischer Handel}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2008}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TRADE_Climate_DE_Jul08.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }