12th December 2009
Trade and Climate Change: Key Issues for Small States, LDCs and Vulnerable Economies
ENVIRONMENT NEWS BULLETIN (ENB)
Janet Strachan, Commonwealth Secretariat, explained that the event would discuss the trade and climate change concerns of small and other highly vulnerable states, and launch a new book entitled “Trade, Climate Change and Sustainable Development.” She highlighted three primary lessons from the study, namely the need to: build climate resilience in small and other vulnerable states; address reputational concerns related to exported goods and tourism; and maintain a supportive international environment by acting collectively.
Gloria Carrión, International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), provided an overview of the book, noting that it examines the potential role of trade policy in building economic resilience in small, vulnerable economies (SVEs). She noted that the report identifies vulnerable sectors, including agriculture, forestry and fisheries, and summarized findings in four main areas, namely: national ecosystem resilience; environmental goods; fisheries; and intellectual property rights.
Edward Allison, WorldFish Center, outlined a report entitled “Climate Change, Fisheries, Trade and Competitiveness: Understanding Impacts and Formulating Responses for Commonwealth Small States.” After highlighting various impacts of climate change on fish trade, he suggested a variety of adaptive responses to deal with these impacts, including sustaining fish stocks and adopting ecosystem approaches to fisheries and aquaculture. Carrión described strategies to match existing funding mechanisms for development with national policy strategies for climate change.
Participants discussed various issues, including those related to livelihood diversification and climate change issues in the World Trade Organization.