In its annual report on trade in the world, the WTO asks not to oppose trade to the fight against climate change.
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L’The WTO on Monday called on states to eliminate barriers to trade in environmental goods and services in order to promote the exchange of instruments to fight against climate change, such as solar panels. In its annual report on world trade published on the occasion of the UN climate conference COP27 in Egypt, the World Trade Organization asks not to pit trade against the fight against climate change. It is misleading to think that trade is only a source of greenhouse gas emissions, says the WTO, which argues that it can also enable the diffusion and use of innovations and technologies green.
“Trade is a force for climate change and part of the solution to achieving a low-carbon, resilient and just transition,” WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala from Nigeria said in a statement. foreword to the report. “The WTO estimates that reducing tariffs and non-tariff measures on energy-related environmental goods could increase total exports of these products by 5% by 2030 and, at the same time, lead to a net reduction in carbon emissions,” she says.
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Trade, an ally of ecology?
According to the organization’s economists, the resulting improvements in energy efficiency and increased use of renewable energy could indeed reduce net carbon emissions by 0.6%. Although tariffs on environmental goods are, on average, lower than those on other goods, they remain relatively high in low-income countries, the report also says.
“If trade itself generates emissions [de gaz à effet de serre, NDLR] related to production and transport, trade and trade policies can accelerate the diffusion of cutting-edge technologies and best practices, and strengthen incentives for innovation while creating the jobs of tomorrow”, notes the head of the WTO in the report.
She points out that trade has already played an important role in the global climate response. Thus, she cites as an example, the cost of solar panels has fallen over the past three decades, and “about 40% of the fall in costs has been attributed to economies of scale made possible in particular thanks to the international trade and value chains”. “More open trade in environmental goods and services could do more,” she concludes.