-
FLURRY OF ACTIVITY ON CLIMATE CHANGE PRECEDES LOW-EXPECTATION COP
FLURRY OF ACTIVITY ON CLIMATE CHANGE PRECEDES LOW-EXPECTATION COP With a major UN climate meeting around the corner, two new reports detail the global costs of inaction on climate change as well as the threat climate change poses to Africa specifically. UK Prime Minister Tony Blair responded by calling for immediate action, and was backed by…
-
ENERGY MAKING ITS WAY INTO EU TRADE POLICY
ENERGY MAKING ITS WAY INTO EU TRADE POLICY In its new trade policy strategy from early October, the EU has included securing energy supply and transit as an important objective. At a summit with India on 13 October, the two trading blocs agreed to work towards a "broad-based" bilateral trade and investment pact, with cooperation…
-
TRIPS COUNCIL: DEBATES ON GENETIC RESOURCES AND TK REMAIN DIVISIVE
TRIPS COUNCIL: DEBATES ON GENETIC RESOURCES AND TK REMAIN DIVISIVE WTO Members continue to disagree on whether (and how) to use the intellectual property system to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge (TK). While the item again featured on the agenda of the Council for Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) at…
-
AGRICULTURE AT THE WTO: MEMBERS DISCUSS SUBSIDY, TARIFF NOTIFICATIONS WHILE NEGOTIATIONS REMAIN AT A STANDSTILL
AGRICULTURE AT THE WTO: MEMBERS DISCUSS SUBSIDY, TARIFF NOTIFICATIONS WHILE NEGOTIATIONS REMAIN AT A STANDSTILL Extensive delays in Members’ notifications of their farm subsidies and tariffs are undermining the WTO’s ability to promote transparency and are creating obstacles to progress in the negotiations themselves, according to Christian Häberli (Switzerland), Chair of the WTO…
- In Brief
-
Discussion Sought on Trade Rules on Biofuels
According to a new study, the increasing use of biofuels — alternative fuels based on agricultural feedstocks — warrants careful study of how trade rules apply to them. The fact that the WTO rules applicable to biofuels were created before the advent of these products means that a “debate needs to occur on how the…
-
EU Takes Steps to Reduce Global Mercury Exposure
The European Commission has proposed a regulation to ban all EU mercury exports and to mandate the safe storage of surplus mercury. Pending joint approval by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers, the legislation would take effect beginning in July 2011. Both the ban and the storage measures are part of the EU’s stated…
-
Scientists Sound Alarm Bells for the Future of World Fisheries
An international group of ecologists and economists sent a strong warning regarding the impending collapse of the word fisheries if no action is taken to halt the decline. Drawing on the findings of an extensive global study published in the journal Science on 3 November, the researchers concluded that virtually no fish stocks would be…
-
Humans Overdrawing on Earth's Resources, WWF Reports
In 2003, humanity was using up natural resources 1.25 times faster than Earth could replenish them, while the biodiversity of vertebrate species populations has declined by 30 percent since 1970. These trends are detailed in the “Living Planet Report 2006″, a biennial publication that assesses humanity’s impact on natural resources and global biodiversity, released jointly…
-
Civil Society Queries WTO D-G on Hot Trade Topics
WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy phased tough questions during a one-hour public internet chat on 18 October with representatives of business, academia, NGOs, and media from around the world. While most questions focused on prospects for re-launching the Doha round negotiations and the growing trend towards bilateral and regional trade agreements, Lamy also was asked to…
-
International Mining Forum Adopts Plan for Sustainable Development
A global mining forum recently called for action against unjustified barriers to market access for mineral and metals. Meeting in Geneva, Switzerland from 18-20 October, representatives from 36 countries and a number of international organisations gathered for the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Forum for Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development. The forum discussed the implementation…
- Events
-
Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar. Please bear in mind that dates and times of WTO meetings are often changed, and that the WTO does not always announce the important informal meetings of the different bodies. ICTSD 6 November, Nairobi, Kenya: TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE…
- Resources
-
Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy or review by the BRIDGES staff to Malena Sell. ICTSD Resource LINKING TRADE, CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY. ICTSD, November 2006. This special collection of issue briefs begins with an introduction that summarises ICTSD’s analysis…