A new report has been published jointly by WTO and UNEP on Trade and Environment. This has sections summarising the science of climate change, an economic analysis of the links between trade and the environment and a review of climate change policies at the international and national level.
Interestingly the report is positive about the acceptability of border measures to level the playing field between firms subject to national carbon or energy taxes and importing firms subject to less stringent environmental regimes.
The report provides clarification on the conditions under which border tax adjustments may be compatible with trade rules and therefore opens some interesting areas for further development which previously appeared to be stalled in policy terms. The Green Fiscal Commission will be publishing a briefing paper on Border Tax Adjustments later in the year as a contribution to this debate on the issue, which may perhaps now be reinvigorated following this WTO/UNEP contribution.
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Ben Shaw
Paul Ekins
Simon Dresner
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Trade and Climate Change – WTO/UNEP report
30 June 2009 in Competitiveness issues, GFC Commentary, Other interesting articles | Tags: International | by Ben Shaw | Leave a comment
A new report has been published jointly by WTO and UNEP on Trade and Environment. This has sections summarising the science of climate change, an economic analysis of the links between trade and the environment and a review of climate change policies at the international and national level.
Interestingly the report is positive about the acceptability of border measures to level the playing field between firms subject to national carbon or energy taxes and importing firms subject to less stringent environmental regimes.
The report provides clarification on the conditions under which border tax adjustments may be compatible with trade rules and therefore opens some interesting areas for further development which previously appeared to be stalled in policy terms. The Green Fiscal Commission will be publishing a briefing paper on Border Tax Adjustments later in the year as a contribution to this debate on the issue, which may perhaps now be reinvigorated following this WTO/UNEP contribution.