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HOW WOULD A TRADE DEAL ON SUGAR AFFECT EXPORTING AND IMPORTING COUNTRIES? By Amani Elobeid (Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute, Iowa State University). September 2009. This study examines how exporting and importing countries could be affected by a trade deal on sugar along the lines of that under discussion in the WTO’s Doha Round, as well as in bilateral and regional negotiations. The author takes into consideration the preferential access arrangements that currently exist, recent historical trends in sugar trade in different countries and geographical regions, and the internal market reforms in importing regions such as the EU. With specific emphasis on market access, domestic support, and export competition, this study analyses the implication of the December 2008 draft modalities proposal for specific sugar exporting and importing countries, as well as prospective bilateral and regional agreements. To access this study, visit: http://ictsd.net/i/publications/57666/
FOREST RESILIENCE, BIODIVERSITY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. By Ian Thompson, Brendan Mackey, Steven McNulty, and Alex Mosseler. Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. 2009. The secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has launched a synthesis report on the concepts of ecosystem resilience, resistance, and stability in forests and their relationship to biodiversity, with particular reference to climate change. An explanation is given on major impacts of humans on forest ecosystems including loss of forest area, habitat fragmentation, soil degradation, depletion of biomass and associated carbon stocks, and species loss. The authors focus on forests’ natural capacity to adapt to climate change because of their biodiversity while providing case studies on forestry in North America and Europe and the Amazon rain forest. This report strongly supports the conclusion that the capacity of forests to resist change, or recover following disturbance, is dependent on biodiversity at multiple scales. To access this report, visit: http://www.cbd.int/doc/publications/cbd-ts-43-en.pdf
INDIA, G77 PROPOSE TEXT AGAINST TRADE PROTECTION IN COPENHAGEN DRAFT. South Centre: South Bulletin (40), September 2009. By Martin Khor and Hira Jhamtani. This article discusses the issues brought forth during a preparatory meeting, for the Copenhagen conference under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), last August in Bonn. With trade protection in the name of climate change being a controversial issue during these talks, the Group of 77 (G77) and China have proposed that developed countries shall not to resort to any form of unilateral measures against goods and services imported from developing countries on grounds of protecting the climate as such measures violate the provisions of the UNFCCC and would transfer their mitigation burdens onto developing countries. The author goes on to explain how such measures would have a distortive effect on international trade and how to avoid adverse economic consequences. To access this article, visit: http://www.southcentre.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1083&Itemid=279
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