An Equitable Trade-Climate Agenda: Rewiring Systemic Policy, Governance and Knowledge Gaps for Equity

The report argues that the convergence of trade and climate policy is creating systemic gaps that marginalize developing countries. It highlights the mismatch between WTO rules and climate objectives, the lack of a unified governance space between the WTO and UNFCCC, and a scarcity of granular data on distributional impacts. To ensure a just transition, the authors advocate for a multilateral agenda that prioritizes development, differentiation, and the treatment of green technologies as global public goods.

• A significant policy gap exists because the World Trade Organization (WTO) rules are based on regulating "like products" and do not recognize emissions or process and production methods as core organizing criteria. This creates tension with climate-linked trade measures that rely on decarbonization benchmarks and embedded emissions.
• Intellectual property laws, specifically the TRIPS Agreement, hinder the diffusion of green technologies in developing countries by prioritizing monopoly protections over rapid deployment. While Article 66.2 of the TRIPS Agreement requires developed nations to promote technology transfer, implementation is weak due to a lack of clarity and non-enforceability.
• A governance gap exists because the WTO (focused on trade liberalization and market access) and the UNFCCC (focused on emissions reduction and common but differentiated responsibilities) operate under different logics. This leaves climate measures with trade effects, such as the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), without a unified multilateral space for resolution, leading to bilateral bargaining and retaliatory logic.
• Knowledge gaps persist due to a lack of granular data on how trade-climate measures affect least developed countries, MSMEs, and commodity-dependent nations. Technical uncertainties also exist regarding emissions measurement methodologies, particularly in African countries where emissions are primarily linked to agriculture and land use.
• The report proposes an equitable trade-climate agenda based on five principles: centering development and structural transformation, operationalizing differentiation, preserving policy space for green industrialization, treating climate technologies as global public goods, and prioritizing multilateral cooperation over unilateral measures.

APA

Manchishi, S., Dev, T., Goswami, A., & Avinashi, R. (2026). An Equitable Trade-Climate Agenda: Rewiring Systemic Policy, Governance and Knowledge Gaps for Equity. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://tessforum.org/latest/an-equitable-trade-climate-agenda-rewiring-systemic-policy-governance-and-knowledge-gaps-for-equity

Chicago

Manchishi, Shimukunku, Trishant Dev, Avantika Goswami, and Rudrath Avinashi. An Equitable Trade-Climate Agenda: Rewiring Systemic Policy, Governance and Knowledge Gaps for Equity. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2026. https://tessforum.org/latest/an-equitable-trade-climate-agenda-rewiring-systemic-policy-governance-and-knowledge-gaps-for-equity.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Manchishi |first1=Shimukunku |last2=Dev |first2=Trishant |last3=Goswami |first3=Avantika |last4=Avinashi |first4=Rudrath |title=An Equitable Trade-Climate Agenda: Rewiring Systemic Policy, Governance and Knowledge Gaps for Equity |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=17 April 2026 |url=https://tessforum.org/latest/an-equitable-trade-climate-agenda-rewiring-systemic-policy-governance-and-knowledge-gaps-for-equity |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{manchishi2026equitable, author = {Manchishi, Shimukunku and Dev, Trishant and Goswami, Avantika and Avinashi, Rudrath}, title = {{An Equitable Trade-Climate Agenda: Rewiring Systemic Policy, Governance and Knowledge Gaps for Equity}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://tessforum.org/latest/an-equitable-trade-climate-agenda-rewiring-systemic-policy-governance-and-knowledge-gaps-for-equity}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }