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This report by the African Future Policies Hub analyzes proposed amendments to the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) introduced on 26 February 2025. While the amendments aim to reduce the administrative burden on EU importers through new volumetric thresholds and simplified default values, the report argues these changes primarily benefit EU entities and may negatively impact African exporters by increasing costs or reducing the benefits of domestic carbon pricing.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the role of trade and investment agreements in the critical minerals boom, highlighting the tension between importing countries' desire for stable raw material access and exporting countries' goals for domestic value addition and sustainability.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) and E3G examines the intersection of global trade, climate policy, and the energy transition. It analyzes how the shift away from fossil fuels reshapes geopolitical power and trade flows, highlighting the disproportionate risks and opportunities for developing countries. The document advocates for proactive trade policy reforms, increased financial support, and international coordination to ensure an equitable transition that avoids protectionism and supports climate-resilient development in the Global South.

This briefing by the African Food Systems Transformation Collective examines the intersection of trade policy and the transition to agroecological food systems in Africa. It argues that current trade regimes, including the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), often prioritize industrial agriculture and neoliberal orthodoxy, which can marginalize smallholder farmers and undermine food sovereignty. The document advocates for a shift toward 'territorial markets' and regional trade policies that align with agroecological principles to enhance food security, nutrition, and environmental resilience.

This briefing analyzes the 'echo' effect of climate-related industrial policies among the world's largest trading economies, finding that subsidies and import curbs in net-zero sectors frequently trigger reciprocal responses from other major jurisdictions within 6 to 24 months.

This toolkit by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines policy options to address carbon leakage—the displacement of production and emissions to countries with lower climate ambition. It analyzes the trade-offs of international frameworks, Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs), carbon cost containment, subsidies, and product standards, noting that while carbon pricing coverage grew to 24% of emissions in 2024, price divergence continues to drive leakage risks.

This briefing examines the implementation of Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs), focusing on the European Union's pioneering system and its global repercussions. It analyzes the limited impact of CBAMs on overall emissions reductions compared to domestic carbon pricing, the significant economic risks posed to developing nations, and the resulting fragmented landscape of international trade and climate policy.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines how a potential US slowdown in clean technology investment and deployment under a Donald Trump presidency could create market opportunities for emerging economies, specifically China, Brazil, and India.

This briefing discusses how existing and new World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and flexibilities regarding agricultural domestic support can be used to increase agricultural productivity, attract private investment, and promote food security in least developed countries (LDCs).

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines the expansion and dynamics of global carbon markets, categorizing them into compliance-based, voluntary, and multilateral systems under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. It analyzes the trade implications of these markets, including competitiveness concerns and the use of mechanisms like the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), while highlighting the specific opportunities and financial challenges facing developing countries in adopting these tools.

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 report summarizes stakeholder dialogues from Brazil, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam regarding the design, implementation, and impacts of border carbon adjustments (BCAs). It examines BCAs as a tool to prevent carbon leakage, compares the emerging systems in the EU and UK, and details stakeholder concerns regarding emissions measurement, equity for developing nations, and the potential for trade frictions.

This report by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides guidance on the design and implementation of trade-related circular economy policies and measures (TrCEMs). It aims to help governments create frameworks that achieve environmental and public health goals while minimizing trade costs and supporting fair transitions, particularly for developing countries.

This report summarizes stakeholder dialogues conducted in 2023 and 2024 across Brazil, Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, and Vietnam regarding the design and implementation of Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). It examines BCAs as a tool to prevent carbon leakage—where economic activity shifts to jurisdictions with less ambitious climate policies—and analyzes the perspectives of government, industry, finance, labour, academia, and civil society on the opportunities and challenges these mechanisms present.

This report analyzes the proposed United Kingdom Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), comparing its design and implementation to the European Union's CBAM and evaluating its potential impacts on industries, trading partners, and developing nations.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines trade frictions arising from national plastic pollution measures implemented by World Trade Organization (WTO) members. It aims to provide recommendations for policy-makers to design regulations that reduce plastic pollution while avoiding trade disputes, particularly as UN member states work toward a legally binding international agreement on the full life cycle of plastics.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes trade frictions arising from national and subnational plastic pollution measures implemented by WTO members. By examining Specific Trade Concerns (STCs) and Trade Policy Review (TPR) questions, the authors identify six primary types of regulatory issues—timing, transparency, stakeholder engagement, proportionality, justification, and discrimination—and provide recommendations to help policy-makers design measures that minimize trade disruptions.

This policy brief by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines options for international trade-related cooperation to address plastic pollution, specifically focusing on single-use plastics. It analyzes existing national legislative approaches, proposes criteria for identifying problematic plastics, and outlines pathways for collective action through the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the development of a global plastics treaty.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the design choices and trade-offs associated with Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). It describes BCAs as measures intended to prevent 'carbon leakage' by ensuring imported goods face carbon costs equivalent to domestic production, thereby supporting the integrity of domestic carbon pricing. The document outlines key decision points for policy-makers, including the scope of trade flows, geographic exemptions, emission categories (Scopes 1, 2, and 3), calculation methods for embedded emissions, and the allocation of generated revenues.

This research paper by Christophe Bellmann of the International Institute for Sustainable Development outlines strategies for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to integrate sustainability into agricultural trade policies. It argues that while unilateral measures exist, multilateral cooperation is essential to address transboundary environmental challenges, food insecurity, and the impact of agricultural subsidies.