Redesigning the Energy Charter Treaty to Advance the Low-Carbon Transition

This briefing discusses the necessity of overhauling the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) to align it with international climate commitments, specifically the Paris Agreement, to support the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy.

• The Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) is distinct from most investment treaties because it focuses exclusively on the energy sector, encompassing activities related to oil, gas, coal, wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.
• To ensure economic and environmental goals are mutually supportive, the ECT should be redesigned to align with the international commitments established under the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
• The paper proposes three primary building blocks for a revised ECT to ensure alignment with the Paris Agreement: the encouragement of low-carbon energy investments, the discouragement of carbon-intensive energy investments, and the assurance of a just transition to low-carbon societies and economies.

APA

Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., & Brauch, M. (2019). Redesigning the Energy Charter Treaty to Advance the Low-Carbon Transition. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/redesigning-energy-charter-treaty-advance-low-carbon-transition

Chicago

Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N., and M.D. Brauch. Redesigning the Energy Charter Treaty to Advance the Low-Carbon Transition. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2019. https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/redesigning-energy-charter-treaty-advance-low-carbon-transition.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bernasconi-Osterwalder |first1=N. |last2=Brauch |first2=M.D. |title=Redesigning the Energy Charter Treaty to Advance the Low-Carbon Transition |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=3 September 2019 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/redesigning-energy-charter-treaty-advance-low-carbon-transition |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bernasconiosterwalder2019redesigning, author = {Bernasconi-Osterwalder, N. and Brauch, M.D.}, title = {{Redesigning the Energy Charter Treaty to Advance the Low-Carbon Transition}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2019}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/brief/redesigning-energy-charter-treaty-advance-low-carbon-transition}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }