On 16 December 2011, at the occasion of the eight ministerial conference of the WTO in Geneva, ICTSD organised a high-level lunch addressing the urgent need to switch from fossil based to sustainable energy as a key measure for addressing climate change, and how this shift could be promoted using trade policies. Discussions revolved around various options and vehicles to do this, including through negotiating a sustainable energy trade agreement (SETA).

Renate Christ, Secretary of the IPCC highlighted issues such as the current state of climate change, current and expected levels of emissions, the contribution of energy supply and use to carbon emissions, and the
mitigation efforts required to stay below a 2 degree temperature increase. In particular, she highlighted the role of renewable energy in this effort.

Ricardo Melendez-Ortiz Chief Executive of ICTSD then outlined the relevance of trade and trade-policy in facilitating the rapid scale up of sustainable energy in the context not only of the environmental challenge but also other key sustainable development challenges such as providing energy access to millions of people through low-carbon means.

The lunch sparked a lively debate on the relevance and interplay of trade and sustainable energy policies. Participants encouraged ICTSD to continue its momentum on the initiative and to provide informed input through research and dialogue to policy makers.

The globalized nature of activities that drive trade and climate change has evinced a need to address the issues at the international level, yet no formal institutional process exists to provide information or exchange of views on the linkages. The World Trade Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have mostly circumvented direct dealings with these inter-linkages. Yet the rising tide of issues and urgency require that member states and other relevant parties begin to address the issues head on.
The space to generate ideas and solutions as well as address challenges in either forum is nearly non-existent, and the issues are often controversial. Nevertheless, there is currently some movement, albeit slow and awkward, to open a space for dialogue and decision.

The reduction or removal of trade restrictions affecting transport-related EGs supports the deployment of climate-related technologies and allows for easier and less costly access to equipment needed to make transport more sustainable. A review of a range of technology options for reducing energy use and emissions in transport reveals that negotiations on EGs may, in theory, be relevant for the implementation of only some of these technology options: certain alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), certain components used in AFVs (such as batteries used in electric cars) and alternative fuels (such as biofuels). With regard to non-technology options, some WTO members have proposed that specific types of equipment used in public transport and bicycles could be included in the negotiations (with a view to facilitating shifts to more sustainable modes of travel).

In order to properly understand the possible contribution that the environmental goods and services (EGS) negotiations in the WTO could make to sustainable transport strategies, this presentation addresses a number of questions: What trade issues are involved in the deployment of climate-related transport technologies? What EGs can be identified in the transport sector? Do tariffs and NTBs affect international trade in these products? Will trade liberalisation alone support the deployment of climate-friendly technologies and products to developing countries? What are the key issues to be considered by governments in assessing the pros and cons of liberalising trade in specific EGs? Also discussed in this presentation are issues related to tariff classifications.

Regional experts will highlight domestic and regional experiences with implementing and using domestic ABS legislation. A particular focus will rest on the disclosure requirement, enforcement mechanisms and the role of domestic adjudicative systems. The discussion will be further enriched by views from the bio-trade perspective.

Experts and project partners of ICTSD, GTZ and the UNCTAD-UNEP Capacity Building Task Force on Biotrade will make cutting edge inputs on pertinent issues at the intersection of trade, IP and biodiversity, supported by fresh publications and documentation.

For further information please visit http://ictsd.org/i/events/dialogues/62258/.

Ingrid Jegou, Senior Programme Officer, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development
Economic and Development Implications in Latin America

Valentina Durán, Environmental Law Centre, Faculty of Law, University of Chile
A Legal View on Border Tax Adjustments

Rodrigo Polanco Lazo
A Legal View on Border Tax Adjustments

Panel I:  Multilateralism and Investment: Multilateralism Revisited Promoting Coherence in International Investment Rule-making through a Secondary Law Approach

WTI/ICTSD Roundtable Format

Moderator: Marie Wilke, World Trade Institute

Elisabeth Tuerk, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Roberto Echandi, Ambassador of Costa-Rica to the Netherlands

Sabine Konrad, K&L Gates LLP

Lluis Paradell, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP

Discussants: Katja Gehne, WTI