GENEVA – The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) today issued a communication to World Trade Organization (WTO) Members on Climate and Trade. The U.S. Communication, “Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of the Green Transition: Coherence and Interoperability of Trade-Related Climate Measures,” is intended to advance discussions among WTO Members on practical and constructive ways that trade policies can support and complement WTO Members’ efforts to address climate change. The U.S. Communication recognizes that countries are already implementing trade-related climate measures and that approaches will vary across countries based on their own unique circumstances. It proposes that discussions at the WTO should focus on how these different policies can complement each other, to the extent possible, and avoid working at cross purposes. It identifies certain areas of climate-related discussions which are more advanced at the WTO and can be deepened and lead to positive outcomes. The U.S. Communication also encourages WTO Members to draw upon work already underway in other international bodies to avoid duplication of efforts. USTR will use the communication to engage other WTO Members on constructive and practical ways to leverage discussions at the WTO to advance our mutual goals to address climate change.
The U.S. Communication can be found here.
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