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This briefing examines how Preferential Trade Agreements (PTAs) can serve as policy tools and 'laboratories' to promote climate action and inform multilateral negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO). It argues that while PTAs often have a broader scope for environmental provisions than the WTO, many current provisions remain vague and weak, requiring improved design in areas such as fossil fuel subsidies, environmental goods, and investment protections.

This policy brief provides a governance-focused overview of how the World Trade Organization (WTO) addresses the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development. It details the various institutional bodies, negotiating processes, and recent member-led initiatives aimed at fostering sustainable trade.

This paper from the Global Value Chain Policy Series explores the intersection of environmental sustainability and global value chains, focusing on barriers to environmental goods and services and the role of sustainability standards.

This document is a statement delivered by Scott Vaughan, President and CEO of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), to the House of Commons Standing Committee on International Trade on May 1, 2018. Vaughan provides perspectives on a potential free trade agreement between Canada and MERCOSUR, advocating for the inclusion of progressive trade policies, sustainability standards, and a shift in investment protection models.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the state of the multilateral trading system following the 2008–10 global financial crisis. It argues that a multilateral impasse is likely to persist due to a lack of leadership from the US and China, suggesting that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) must shift toward plurilateral agreements to remain relevant. The author highlights the specific challenges for South Africa, which faces a 'negotiating stretch' as it attempts to represent broader African interests while managing its own role as an emerging middle power.

This report, published by the Socialist Group in the European Parliament and featuring contributions from the Center for International Environmental Law and Friends of the Earth, examines the tensions and potential synergies between international trade policies and climate change mitigation. It argues that while the current trade regime often promotes unsustainable consumption and production, trade can be leveraged to support climate goals through the liberalization of environmental goods, the implementation of high energy-efficiency standards, and the alignment of WTO rules with international climate agreements.

This scoping paper, produced for the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in 2007, examines the multifaceted linkages between trade, investment, and climate change. It analyzes how trade policies influence greenhouse gas emissions, the legal interactions between WTO and UNFCCC frameworks, the physical risks climate change poses to trade infrastructure, and the competitiveness implications of climate regulations.