Climate and Trade Cooperation after the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: Quo Vadis

This research paper evaluates the outcomes of the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) regarding the intersection of climate and trade policy. The authors argue that while the conference was largely disappointing due to a lack of binding multilateral agreements and opposition from key members like India, there is still value in utilizing the WTO as a diplomatic forum to coordinate non-binding instruments and revitalize deliberative functions such as the Committee on Trade and Environment.

• The Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13), held from 26–29 February 2024, failed to produce significant progress on climate-related trade issues. The resulting Abu Dhabi Declaration was limited, merely recalling existing sustainable development commitments from the 1994 Marrakesh Agreement, with literal mentions of climate change appearing only in the context of support for the Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.
• India has actively opposed the integration of climate and environment issues into the WTO's formal agenda, with Minister of Commerce Piyush Goyal asserting that trade and environment are separate issues. This stance contrasts with other developing nations; for example, Paraguay led an initiative co-sponsored by 15 other developing countries and the African Group to create a Ministerial Declaration on the Contribution of the Multilateral Trading System to Tackle Environmental Challenges.
• While multilateral progress is stalled, some modest advancements occurred through plurilateral initiatives. The Trade and Environmental Sustainability Structured Discussions (TESSD), comprising 76 members, provided an updated work plan for 2024. Additionally, the New Zealand-led Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform (FFSR) initiative (48 countries) and the Dialogue on Plastics Pollution (DPP) (76 co-sponsors) presented updated statements and work programmes.
• The authors suggest that because binding multilateral agreements are currently unrealistic due to geopolitical tensions, success should be redefined as achieving convergence on non-binding instruments, best practice principles, and codes of conduct. Priority should be given to revitalizing the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment to coordinate national policies on carbon markets, carbon border measures, and green industrial policy.

APA

Kleimann, D., Keane, J., & Robertson, M. (2024). Climate and Trade Cooperation after the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: Quo Vadis. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs. https://tessforum.org/latest/climate-and-trade-cooperation-after-the-thirteenth-wto-ministerial-conference-quo-vadis

Chicago

Kleimann, David, Jodie Keane, and Michai Robertson. Climate and Trade Cooperation after the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: Quo Vadis. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs, 2024. https://tessforum.org/latest/climate-and-trade-cooperation-after-the-thirteenth-wto-ministerial-conference-quo-vadis.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kleimann |first1=David |last2=Keane |first2=Jodie |last3=Robertson |first3=Michai |title=Climate and Trade Cooperation after the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: Quo Vadis |publisher=Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs |date=7 March 2024 |url=https://tessforum.org/latest/climate-and-trade-cooperation-after-the-thirteenth-wto-ministerial-conference-quo-vadis |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kleimann2024climate, author = {Kleimann, David and Keane, Jodie and Robertson, Michai}, title = {{Climate and Trade Cooperation after the Thirteenth WTO Ministerial Conference: Quo Vadis}}, institution = {Forum on Trade, Environment, \& the SDGs}, year = {2024}, month = mar, url = {https://tessforum.org/latest/climate-and-trade-cooperation-after-the-thirteenth-wto-ministerial-conference-quo-vadis}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }