Make Trade Rules Attuned to the Ecological Needs and Interests of Future Generations: CLI Recommendation No. 15

Abstract

This recommendation observes that international trade agreements as currently structured do not establish minimum standards so as to protect the climate for present and future generations. Accordingly, it advocates potential strategies that could be employed in future rounds of international trade negotiations to mobilize the international trade regime in the pursuit of climate-friendly policies. These strategies include, among others, the elimination of climate-degrading subsidies, the liberalization of trade in climate-friendly goods and services, and the promotion of climate-friendly investments (particularly in the energy sector). In addition, the recommendation proposes a modification in trade rules to account for the greenhouse-gas intensity of fuels and a rigorous evaluation of trade and investment agreements to assure their consistency with the goal of protecting the global climate for present and future generations.