Environment
Promoting the development of the South in the trade and climate regimes
Developed countries must meet their obligations on trade and climate change
Authors:
South Centre
Publisher:
[publisher information not available], 2008
This South Centre bulletin highlights the need for an integrated approach to addressing the challenges of development and climate change. It argues that both the trade and climate regimes have a key role to play in this and that, in each case, a development perspective must guide discussions to ensure an outcome that advances the needs and aspirations of developing countries and their peoples.
It is emphasised that the shift to a low-carbon economy requires a range of measures to support developing countries, and sufficient development policy space to allow those countries to tailor approaches to their national contexts. In particular, the paper argues that developed countries must fulfill their existing international obligations in both the trade and climate regimes, and ensure that their development-related rhetoric is matched by the reality of their actions.
The authors identify a number of areas where developed countries are falling short in promoting development-oriented outcomes on trade and climate issues, and where further efforts should be made.
In the context of the international trading system, they argue that developed countries can help promote climate and development friendly outcomes by:
- removing barriers to climate-friendly exports from developing countries
- addressing developing country concerns in WTO environmental goods and services (EGS) negotiations
- ensuring WTO non-agricultural market access (NAMA) negotiations support, rather than undermine, the industrial development required to adapt to climate change
- ensuring WTO Agriculture negotiations support, rather than undermine, the capacity of farmers in developing countries to develop and improve their capacity to adapt to climate change
- supporting meaningful technology transfer to developing countries, including through steps to increase flows of technology outside the WTO EGS negotiations.
outcomes by:
- implementing their existing technology transfer and financial obligations under the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol
- addressing competitiveness concerns, if any, in the context of the existing processes established in the climate regime, including the Subsidiary Body on Implementation.
