WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION
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climate change
Activities of the WTO and the challenge of
climate change
On this page:
Note: This webpage is prepared by the Secretariat under its own
responsibility and is intended only to provide a general explanation of
the subject matter it addresses. It is in no way intended to provide
legal guidance with respect to, or an authoritative legal interpretation
of, the provisions of any WTO agreement. Moreover, nothing in this note
affects, nor is intended to affect, WTO members' rights and obligations
in any way.
In the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO, members established a
clear link between sustainable development and disciplined trade
liberalization ? in order to ensure that market opening goes hand in
hand with environmental and social objectives. In the ongoing Doha
Round, members went further in their pledge to pursue a sustainable
development path by launching the first ever multilateral trade and
environment negotiations.
Aimed at furthering trade opening, a number of aspects of the Doha Round
have a direct bearing on sustainable development and can therefore
contribute positively to efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate
change. As well, WTO's regular work provides a platform for addressing
the linkages between trade and climate change.
Negotiations on environmental goods and services&
Under the ongoing negotiations on mutual supportiveness of trade opening
with the environment, WTO members are working to eliminate trade
barriers in the goods and services that can benefit the environment.
Facilitating access to products and services in this area can help
improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and have a
positive impact on air quality, water, soil and natural resources
conservation. A successful outcome of the negotiations on environmental
goods and services could deliver a triple-win for WTO members: a win for
the environment, a win for trade and a win for development.
Environmental goods can cover a number of key technologies that may
contribute positively to the fight against climate change. Reducing or
eliminating import tariffs and non-tariff barriers in these types of
products will reduce their price and make them more accessible.
Increased competition will foster technological innovation in areas
related to protection of the environment and combating climate change.
According to a recent World Bank study on trade and climate change,
elimination of both tariffs and non-tariff barriers to clean
technologies could result in a 14 per cent increase in trade.
To illustrate, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has
identified a range of mitigation and adaptation technologies that can
assist in the challenge of climate change. Many of these technologies
involve products currently being negotiated in the Doha negotiations.
These include wind and hydropower turbines, solar water heaters, tanks
for the production of biogas, and landfill liners for methane
collection. A submission by the European Communities and the United
States in December 2007 proposes to give priority in the WTO
negotiations to climate-friendly goods and to services linked to
addressing climate change. These climate-friendly products comprise
about one-third of the environmental goods already identified by a group
of delegations.
In the negotiations on environmental services, WTO members are seeking GATS specific commitments on activities which may be directly relevant to policies aimed at mitigating climate change.
During the Uruguay Round, negotiations focused on sewage services, refuse disposal services and sanitation services, which are listed in the environmental services sector of the Services Sectoral Classification List (MTN.GNG/W/120). Other environmental services, which are commonly understood to be covered by the category &Other& in this list, attracted limited attention at the time. Among them, services such as &cleaning of exhaust gases& and &nature and landscape protection services& are directly relevant to climate change mitigation measures. Cleaning of exhaust gases includes emission monitoring and services aiming to control and reduce the level of pollutants in the air, whether from mobile or stationary sources, which are mostly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. Nature and landscape protection services entail various services aimed at protecting ecological systems as well as studies on the inter-relationships between environment and climate.
In recent years, these ?other? environmental services have expanded as a consequence of increasingly demanding environmental regulations and have gained in prominence both from an environmental and economic point of view. They are supplied mainly on a business-to-business basis and offer niche markets for small and medium-sized enterprises. These services are now on the negotiating table and should offer good prospects for new GATS commitments.
WTO members are currently discussing ways to ensure a harmonious
co-existence between WTO rules and specific trade obligations in various
agreements that have been negotiated multilaterally to protect the
environment. Given the present consensus in the international community
for multilateralism and concerted actions to combat climate change, the
importance of these negotiations aimed at a harmonious relationship
between trade and environment regimes cannot be overemphasized.
up to now, there has been no evidence of conflict between the trade and
environmental regimes, a successful outcome to these negotiations will
nevertheless reinforce the relationship between the two legal regimes.
The negotiators have drawn from national experiences in the negotiation
and implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) at
the national level. They are seeking ways to improve national
coordination and cooperation in this respect. Such mechanisms may be
central to the success of climate change mitigation and adaptation
efforts undertaken at national and international levels.
Moreover, it is
clear from the rules of the WTO and the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) that both regimes do not operate in isolation.
First, Article 3.5 of the UNFCCC and Article 2.3 of the Kyoto Protocol
provide that measures taken to combat climate change should not
constitute a means of arbitrary or unjustifiable discrimination or a
disguised restriction on international trade and should be implemented
so as to minimize adverse effects, including on international trade, and
social, environmental and economic impacts on other Parties. Moreover,
WTO rules leave sufficient policy space to accommodate under certain
conditions the use of trade measures to protect the environment.
At the inter-institutional level, members are also exploring ways of
enhancing information exchange and cooperation between the WTO and MEA
secretariats. Concrete elements are being discussed to improve or
complement existing practices and cooperation mechanisms. This
information exchange extends to participation in respective meetings and
also to the organization of information exchange sessions and joint
technical assistance and capacity-building activities. Cooperation is
already taking place between the WTO and climate change bodies. The UNFCCC participates in meetings of the WTO Committee on Trade and
Environment (CTE) and is an ad hoc observer to the Committee overseeing
the specific trade and environment negotiations (CTESS).The WTO
Secretariat attends UNFCCC Conference of Parties meetings.
Agricultural and non-agricultural negotiations&
Some benefits to climate change mitigation and adaptation, albeit
indirectly, may result from the
. First, the elimination of
tariff and non-tariff barriers and a reduction in agricultural support
in developed countries may lead to a more efficient allocation of global
resources and production.
Second, trade negotiations will lead to increased trade opportunities
for developing countries which could lead to important income gains for
these countries. Increased incomes may enable poorer countries to reduce
their vulnerability to the effects of climate change by investing in
irrigation, for example. In the longer term, the enhanced predictability
associated with WTO commitments from the Doha Round, and associated
monitoring and surveillance activities, could help to offset the less
predictable shifts in weather and productivity. This will ensure that
developing countries do not suffer disproportionately from the negative
impacts of climate change.
The challenge of climate change has also contributed to the development
of the biofuel sector, as many countries see that biofuels can assist
them in meeting their reduction commitments for greenhouse gas emissions
under the Kyoto Protocol. Since the production of biofuels is
concentrated mostly in the consuming countries, trade in biofuels is not
currently very significant. Trade in biodiesel tends to take place
between EU countries as production and consumption is currently
concentrated in the EU. However, trade in bioethanol has been growing
over the last few years, with Brazil emerging as the leading exporter.
Since 2000, 37 measures on biofuels have been notified by 20 WTO members
in the context of the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade.
HS classification of biofuels has implications on how WTO disciplines
apply to domestic measures aimed at these products. Until recently, both
biodiesel and bioethanol used to be traded as agricultural products. In
2005, the World Customs Organization decided to put ?biodiesel? in
Chapter VI on ?products of chemical and allied industries? (HS 382490).
Bioethanol is still traded under HS 2207 in Chapter 22 on ?beverages,
sprits and vinegar?. Any outcome of the Doha negotiations on agriculture
and non-agricultural market access will apply to the biofuels sector.
Climate change issues in WTO's regular work&
The TBT Committee provides an important forum to discuss technical
regulations adopted by governments to mitigate climate change. Technical
specifications and labelling requirements related to climate change are
not new to the WTO. Indeed they fall squarely within the disciplines of
the TBT Agreement which imposes, among other things, rules on avoidance
of unnecessary obstacles to trade and harmonization. In addition, the
TBT Agreement requires members to share information on technical
regulations that may have an impact on trade.
In recent years, a number
of product standards and labelling requirements targeted at energy
efficiency or emissions control were notified. The climate
change-related technical regulations discussed in the TBT Committee so
far appear to principally concern product requirements. Examples of
regulations discussed so far include: fuel econom
eco-design requirements for energy- energy efficiency
programmes for consumer products and emission limit values for diesel
The Committee looks at climate change measures to ensure they do not
pose unnecessary obstacles to international trade, while still achieving
the legitimate objective of protecting the environment, and encourages
harmonization.
As for international standards, the International Organization for
Standardization (ISO) has adopted four standards (14064 ? 1, 2 and
3:2006 and ) that include requirements for quantification and
reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and reductions. These standards
are related to conformity assessment procedures and do not include any
product-specific requirements on emission levels.
An increasing number of private sector standards might include
production or labelling requirements, with the stated objective of
mitigating or adapting to the negative effects of climate change. Though
non-mandatory, they may affect market access conditions for a range of
The work programme of the Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE)
covers the main issues at the intersection of trade and environment. A
number of issues indirectly relating to climate change, such as the
environmental benefits of removing trade restrictions in the energy and
forestry sectors and the effect of energy efficiency labelling on market
access, have been discussed in the CTE. The Committee serves as an
incubator for ideas to advance the trade and environment agenda and is
the main gateway should members decide to explore further the linkages
between climate change and trade.请大家提供一篇名为opportunity and challenge 的英文演讲_百度知道
请大家提供一篇名为opportunity and challenge 的英文演讲
英文演讲，题目是opportunity and challenge
要压缩后的，短点的
自己缩减以下吧！下面是现成的演讲稿！Opportunity and Challenge in China With further global economic growth and abrupt deterioration of the ecologic environment, every country should continue to increase environmental investment and rapidly expand products and technology for environmental protection. To realize the environmental protection target of China's Ninth Five-Year Plan () and to effectively implement the Environment Protection Project, the Chinese government is currently carrying out two significant activities: the Overall Control Plan and the Transcentury Green Project Program. These activities have created enormous demands for advanced industrial and environmental technologies and equipment. The investment in environmental protection by the Chinese government in 2000 has surpassed 1% of the gross national income. Currently, China is politically stable and the economy is prosperous, which creates an ideal investment opportunity for the environmental protection industry. China is a large agricultural nation with a huge population base. The development of small townships is a strategy to spur rural economic and social development. The Chinese government is already planning the construction of small townships. The critical issues are how to effectively solve the environmental problems for township contruction and urbanization, how to coordinate the development of industry with protection of the ecologic environment in townships, and how to avoid the traditional ways of &polluting first and cleaning later, and destruction first and protection later.& The ecologic environmental problems that exist in China's small townships are as follows: a) programs in small townships lag behind those required for economic development and envi b) small townships have not effectively been divided into
c) basic infrastructure construction lags behind t d) both resource utilization and pollution prevention capa and e) the ability for pollution control and environmental protection is low. Especially in recent years, enterprises in rural townships have experienc meanwhile, these enterprises suffer from overall low-level technology and management, slow equipment renewal and innovation, and irrational industrial structure. They increase production by simple extension, and they exploit resources in a way that results in wasted resources and serious pollution of the environment. Therefore, there is a special need to establish a new concept for sustainable economic development as well as ecologic and environmental protection of townships. To develop sustainable and ecologic small townships, the principles of ecology and ecologic economy should be used to direct the harmonious development of the economy, society, and the environment. Programs and planning should be comprehensive. High economic growth should be obtained with a low cost to resources and the environment. The economy, township construction, and the environment should be planned as one, implemented as one, and developed as one. With regard to current township enterprises, we should take action to encourage the improvement of technology, to revise the industrial structure, and to practice clean production technology. Development of township industry should be considered part of the national economic and social development system. This would reduce and eliminate discharge of pollutants and help to share limited resources. Experience and technology from developed countries should be introduced to achieve harmony between the use of natural resources and the protection of the environment, and to develop and construct new small townships in China. By joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), China will promote environmental protection and provoke corresponding challenges. Environmental protection and the merge of trade has become the focus of international attention. In guidelines for international trade, there should be a balance between the need to protect the environment and the right to use environmental resources. Environmental protection should be included in the overall balance of trade so that it becomes a major component of the nation's economy. Because of a lack of environmental concern in trade and the economy in the past, it was hard to carry out environmental management and enforcement in China. After joining the WTO, there will be international pressure for environmental protection. Chinese foreign economy and trade laws will also be used to resolve environment- and trade-related issues. A great discrepancy still exists among China's foreign economy management policy, environmental standards, the binding force of laws and regulations, and international practice and laws and regulations, especially the standards for discharge of pollutants and for environmental quality. By joining the WTO, China can use the environmental management experiences of developed countries to deliberate the laws and regulations that are more stringent than domestic ones to promote the overall technologic level of environmental protection, and can take part in the global economic exchange. On one hand, foreign products will compete in the domestic market with lower prices and better quality, which will initiate improvements in certain domestic products and enterprises that lag behind in technology, cause serious pollution, and have low economic efficiency. This offers China the opportunity to revise the structure of industry and improve technology. China can then selectively import, digest, and absorb advanced technology and products to enhance and implement the overall level of the environmental industry. On the other hand, the current international economic and trade structure will exert great pressure on China to protect the environment. Discrepancies are still obvious between China and developed nations with respect to the economic base, the level of science and technology, and laws and regulations. Products from developed nations feature high technical content and more environmental consideration for both production and application. In contrast, this is hardly the case in China. In China, economic development has occurred by using pollutive production methods and by exploiting natural resources and exporting raw materials at a low price. These practices result in the predatory use of environmental resources and further expansion of environmental destruction. This is another challenge that China will confront with membership in the WTO. Based on this, the Chinese government should evaluate natural resources and the ecologic environment, determine environmental efficiency, and integrate export, free foreign investment assistance, and environmental protection into trade policy and strategy. Priorities should be determined for developing environmental trade. Environmental protection-related foreign trade laws and regulations should be established and implemented to reduce negative responses from the WTO. Assistance and policy preference should be granted to trading activities that are good for sustainable development of the environment and trade, production investment, and importation of technology. Technology and equipment transfer for clean production should be encouraged. The structure of tariffs should be focused on the cooperation of global environmental protection and should target continuous development of the environment and trade into earlier realization. The Western Open-Up project brings a historical opportunity to western China and also creates a challenge to protect the environment in these areas. The strategy will focus on the construction of the infrastructure, the protection of the natural environment, and the development of scientific and technologic education to keep up the pace with economic reform and development in all of China. Western China is one of the birthplaces of C it was a place with abundant grassland and dense forests and a prosperous economy and culture. Due to historical and natural circumstances, some districts of western China are now suffering from serious environmental pollution and ecologic destruction. Soil erosion, lake shrinkage, desertlike conditions, urban air pollution, and polluted water are big problems. The deterioration of the western environment not only harms this part of China but also threatens the environmental safety of the entire country. China's Western Open-Up project is a broad-scale project in which environmental protection should play a key role. Decisions should be based on both environmental and economic considerations, and environmental protection and construction should carry equal weight. Pollution prevention and protection of the environment should be carried out together, and environmental protection should be integrated with the economic structure. Environmental protection technology and education will bring about improvements in many areas. The overall principle of China's Western Open-Up project is to achieve economic prosperity by improving technology and policy and by considering infrastructure construction as fundamental, environmental protection as basic, and revision of the economic structure and establishment of characteristic industry as critical. The final target of the Western Open-Up project is to create both a prosperous economy and good environmental quality. Western China should make full use of governmental policy and actively introduce foreign investment and advanced technology to improve the economy and industrial structure. Both the acceleration of economic development in western China and the use of the Western Open-Up strategy will offer valuable and profitable opportunities for environmental improvement.
采纳率：44%
BEIJING, June 25 (Xinhuanet) -- Globalization is both a challenge and an opportunity for developing countries worldwide, China's top legislator Li Peng said here Tuesday.
In his meeting with former Colombian President Ernesto Samper Pizano, Li, who is chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said the key to the issue is to take advantage of globalization while avoiding its adverse affects.
A multi-polar world is conducive to world peace and efforts should be made to establish a new just and fair international political and economic order, he said.
Samper said there is a danger in Latin America that the gap between the rich and the poor, or between the urban and rural areas is widened in the process of economic globalization. Globalization should not be allowed to sabotage the sovereignty of developing countries, he said.
Samper has made three visits to China, one of which was attending Hong Kong's handover ceremony. He told Li that other developing countries can learn from China's experience.
Li spoke highly of the growing ties between China and Colombia in the areas of science and technology, culture, education and environmental protection.
He said that China, together with Colombia, is ready to make concerted efforts towards mutual lasting, stable and wide-range development and the consolidation of Sino-Colombian ties in the new century.
Samper was in Beijing at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs. Enditem
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