This working paper discusses the relationship between the global climate and trade regimes, including key provisions and pending disputes, and examines new issues arising from the Paris Agreement.
The international trade system – the World Trade Organization (WTO) as well as regional and bilateral trade agreements – has often been criticized from a climate policy perspective. Trade rules are perceived by some as a barrier to stronger climate ambition, but they can also be looked at as something that could potentially help to achieve transformative change in climate policy.
This working paper discusses the relationship between the regimes established by the WTO and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It highlights several options for addressing the relationship between the two regimes from a legal, institutional and a policy perspective.
The suggested options relate to those fields where national climate policy action has been taken during the last years and which are part of the intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) submitted in the run-up to the Paris Agreement.
This working paper is part of the Climate Strategies project “Making the International Trade System work for Climate Change”.
Learn more and download the paper (external link to Climate Strategies)
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