A FAIR FARM BILL FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY. Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, April 2007. The third instalment of a series of papers on the 2007 US Farm Bill, this paper address the challenges posed by the growth in farm-based renewable energy production and their implications for the 2007 US Farm Bill. It encourages diversification of biofuels production from corn and soybeans to more sustainable biomass crops. It also offers predictions on how food prices could be affected by dedicating more land to biofuel production and what can be done to ensure that farmers and rural communities benefit from the new bioeconomy. The brief suggests that a renewable-fuels system based on perennial crops and local ownership will ensure the success of the 2007 Farm Bill and offers concrete policy steps that should be taken to that end. Download the report online at http://www.iatp.org/iatp/publications.cfm?showall=false.
SHOULD THE GREEN BOX BE MODIFIED? By David Blandford and Timothy Josling, International Food and Agriculture Trade Policy Council, March 2007. Agriculture is at the heart of the current Doha "Development" Round of trade negotiations, with increased market access for agriculture playing an important role in furthering economic development and poverty reduction in developing countries. Progress in reducing trade-distorting subsidies has been helped through the introduction of the "Green Box" category in the WTO, which identifies minimally trade-distorting support, including financial support for research and development, food aid, decoupled income support, disaster relief, and environmental programs. In this discussion paper, the authors raise salient questions regarding the Green Box and how it can best be utilized to meet the needs of both rich and poor countries. Download the full report, or the shorter policy focus, online at http://www.agritrade.org/Publications/green_box.html.
THE EMISSION GAME: HOW MARKETS CAN HELP SAVE THE PLANET. By Christine Loh and Roger Raufer, CLSA Asia Pacific Markets, January 2007. This report explores both the environmental and financial aspects of emissions trading. The authors first explain the environmental arguments for carbon emissions reduction and how emissions trading works, including a case study of proposed emissions trading schemes in China and Hong Kong. Putting a "price" on carbon will lead individuals and businesses to move away from high-carbon good and services to their low-carbon alternatives. The development of carbon-trading markets is also an important opportunity for the financial sector, already worth more than USD10 billion annually worldwide. The authors envision a world where businesses, nations, and even individuals transition to a carbon constrained world. Download the report online at http://www.civic-exchange.org/index.php?cat=99.