Search Climate Insights Directory

This report provides a status update on the WTO Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on e-commerce as of December 2022. It analyzes the evolving landscape of digital trade governance at national, regional, and multilateral levels, noting a trend toward more flexible regional Digital Economy Agreements (DEAs) and an increased focus on the digital divide within the WTO's broader Work Programme. The author suggests that the JSI is likely moving toward a less ambitious agreement focusing on minor facilitation points to ensure a conclusion by the 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13).

This policy brief examines the intersection of climate change and trade for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) within the framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO). It argues that a new "sustainability agenda" at the WTO offers opportunities for CARICOM to advance its trade-related climate interests, particularly as the region faces severe vulnerability to rising temperatures and declining global trade competitiveness.

This policy brief provides an overview of the WTO Dialogue on Plastics Pollution, a member-led initiative launched in November 2020 to foster trade cooperation to reduce plastic pollution. It details the Dialogue's evolution, its three primary workstreams—crosscutting issues, promoting trade to tackle pollution, and circularity/reduction—and explores various policy options for international cooperation within the WTO framework, while emphasizing complementarity with other global efforts like the UNEA negotiations for a legally binding instrument on plastic pollution.

This policy brief examines the intersection of international trade and climate change, specifically focusing on how the World Trade Organization (WTO) can facilitate cooperation to support climate mitigation and adaptation goals while ensuring a just transition for developing countries.

This research paper argues that the international trade regime, specifically through the WTO, can be leveraged to support climate change mitigation and adaptation by moving beyond unilateral measures like border carbon adjustments to include the removal of fossil fuel subsidies and the reduction of trade barriers for clean energy technologies.

This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes proposed trade-related legislation from the European Union and the United Kingdom designed to reduce commodity-driven deforestation and forest degradation through mandatory due diligence requirements.

The Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS) highlights that international trade in plastics exceeds USD 1 trillion, with significant 'hidden' trade flows (est. 70 million MT/year) omitted from statistics. While over 140 WTO-notified measures have been used to tackle pollution, TESS argues these are uncoordinated. They call for a global treaty to end trade in hazardous plastic waste, promote sustainable substitutes, and synchronize efforts across the WTO, OECD, and the Basel Convention.

This executive summary, published by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, analyzes how the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can be leveraged to support Africa's green transition. It argues that while the AfCFTA agreement contains minimal environmental references, it can be adjusted to eliminate trade barriers for environmental goods and services. The document emphasizes the need for a phased decarbonization approach for fossil-fuel-dependent nations and recommends that development partners increase climate financing and align initiatives like the European Green Deal with African realities to avoid duplicating existing continental climate strategies.

This policy brief examines the role of the World Customs Organization's (WCO) Harmonized System (HS) in tracking international trade across the life cycle of plastics. It argues that current HS classifications lack the granularity needed for evidence-based policymaking to tackle plastic pollution and proposes specific amendments for the 2022–2027 cycle to improve transparency in trade flows of feedstocks, primary plastics, manufactured products, and waste.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs argues that trade policy should facilitate a 'just and inclusive global green economy' by balancing regulatory requirements ('sticks') with supportive measures ('carrots'). It suggests that WTO members should align trade-related environmental measures with established principles of international environmental law and adopt a data-driven diagnostic approach to identify specific barriers to green transitions across different countries and sectors.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the historical and current tensions between international trade rules and environmental protection. It highlights the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE), arguing that the removal of harmful subsidies in fossil fuels, fisheries, and agriculture is essential for achieving sustainable development and meeting climate goals.

This research paper explores the intersection of trade policy and the transition to a low-carbon circular economy, arguing that circular solutions are indispensable for achieving global decarbonization goals. The authors advocate for government incentives to prioritize secondary materials over primary resources, the scaling of business models focused on product longevity and reuse, and the use of bilateral and regional trade agreements to eliminate barriers to circular goods and services.

An analysis by Carolyn Deere Birkbeck of the Forum on Trade, Environment and the SDGs regarding opportunities for the World Trade Organization (WTO) to address environmental crises and sustainable development during its 12th Ministerial Conference (MC12).

This research paper argues that for Africa to achieve a 'just transition' to a lower carbon economy, it must move from being a consumer to a producer of green technologies. The author emphasizes the need for strategic industrial policy, the utilization of the AfCFTA to create regional value chains, and the preservation of policy space against premature trade liberalization and 'green-washed protectionism' from developed nations.

This research paper explores how trade can be leveraged as a vehicle to support climate change adaptation in developing countries, specifically examining the role of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in identifying necessary goods, services, and financing.

This policy briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative examines the expansion of carbon pricing into trade and economic policy, specifically focusing on the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). It argues that carbon pricing, when combined with preferential treatment for green goods and a 'Just Transition' spending policy, can drive global green capital flows and decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) mechanisms are becoming a reality as countries increase climate ambition. The author proposes a set of international principles and best practices to prevent BCAs from becoming protectionist tools and suggests the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the ideal forum for these discussions.

This policy brief examines the opportunities and risks for developing countries resulting from the increased demand for lithium and cobalt used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, emphasizing the role of trade policy in capturing value and managing overinvestment.

This research paper examines how trade policy instruments, such as import tariffs and local content requirements, can be used to maximize local economic benefits from renewable energy investments without increasing project costs or delaying the energy transition.

This report discusses the necessity and challenges of implementing a border carbon adjustment (BCA) mechanism in Canada to protect energy-intensive trade-exposed sectors as domestic carbon prices rise toward 2030.