U.S. protectionism is undermining climate cooperation and free trade – here's how to address both

The author proposes using border carbon adjustments (BCAs) as a strategic response to U.S. protectionism. By targeting U.S. goods based on carbon intensity, countries can signal their climate commitments and potentially pressure the U.S. to reconsider its withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and its rollback of domestic climate policies.

• Border carbon adjustments (BCAs) are tariffs or carbon constraints on carbon-intensive imports that prevent the relocation of investment and jobs caused by uneven climate action, while incentivising laggard countries to cooperate on climate.
• Properly designed BCAs can level the competitive playing field and support sustained climate leadership without muting the effects of emission-curbing policies, and can be implemented in accordance with international trade law if procedural safeguards are used.
• The document suggests that countries responding to U.S. tariffs should first base countermeasures on the carbon footprint of U.S. goods and later collaborate to design a BCA that balances environmental performance, ease of implementation, and legal durability.
• The threat of carbon-related tariffs may encourage the U.S. administration to reverse its rollback of domestic climate policies and reconsider its withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement.

APA

Mehling, M., van Asselt, H., Das, K., & Droege, S. (2018). U.S. protectionism is undermining climate cooperation and free trade – here's how to address both. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/u-s-protectionism-is-undermining-climate-cooperation-and-free-trade-heres-how-to-address-both/

Chicago

Mehling, Michael, Harro van Asselt, Kasturi Das, and Susanne Droege. U.S. protectionism is undermining climate cooperation and free trade – here's how to address both. Climate Strategies, 2018. https://climatestrategies.org/u-s-protectionism-is-undermining-climate-cooperation-and-free-trade-heres-how-to-address-both/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mehling |first1=Michael |last2=van Asselt |first2=Harro |last3=Das |first3=Kasturi |last4=Droege |first4=Susanne |title=U.S. protectionism is undermining climate cooperation and free trade – here's how to address both |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=31 July 2018 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/u-s-protectionism-is-undermining-climate-cooperation-and-free-trade-heres-how-to-address-both/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mehling2018protectionism, author = {Mehling, Michael and van Asselt, Harro and Das, Kasturi and Droege, Susanne}, title = {{U.S. protectionism is undermining climate cooperation and free trade – here's how to address both}}, publisher = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/u-s-protectionism-is-undermining-climate-cooperation-and-free-trade-heres-how-to-address-both/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }