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US SAYS EUROPEAN AVIATION EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME TO END UP AS WTO DISPUTE
US SAYS EUROPEAN AVIATION EMISSIONS TRADING SCHEME TO END UP AS WTO DISPUTE The EU and US have recently clashed over the legality of including international aviation in the European emissions trading scheme. The EU, which is a major champion of legally-binding measures to address climate change, has set up an emissions trading scheme as one of…
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ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PUSH FOR RULES ON EMISSIONS FROM SHIPPING
ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS PUSH FOR RULES ON EMISSIONS FROM SHIPPING On 3 October, the California Attorney General Jerry Brown and a coalition of environmental groups simultaneously petitioned the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to take action to regulate emissions from marine shipping causing climate change. The environmental groups Earthjustice, the Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of…
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PARTIES AGREE TO SPEED UP ACTION AT MONTREAL PROTOCOL 20TH ANNIVERSARY
At the latest global gathering to address ozone depletion, delegates agreed to accelerate the phase-out of hydrochloroflourocarbons (HCFCs), an ozone-depleting substance with powerful global warming potential. Calling the decision "historic," UN Environmental Programme Executive Director, Achim Steiner, said it was "perhaps, the most important breakthrough in international environmental…
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BRAZIL SUBMISSION CAUSES STIR AT INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT SESSION
BRAZIL SUBMISSION CAUSES STIR AT INFORMAL ENVIRONMENT SESSION A new Brazilian proposal - which supports the concept of agricultural environmental goods and introduces the idea of a request-offer process within the Doha Round negotiations on environmental goods and services - has captured the interest of delegates. Brazil created a flutter at an informal meeting of the WTO…
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FISHERIES NEGOTIATIONS ADVANCE, BUT HELD BACK BY TALKS ON AG, INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS
The Doha Round negotiations on rules governing fisheries subsidies are showing signs of progress, with the chair of the talks describing two new proposals as "quite helpful" to produce draft negotiating texts to present to WTO Members. Nevertheless, Chair Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés (Uruguay) told a 28 September meeting of the Negotiating Group on Rules -…
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Brazil Submission Causes Stir at Informal Environment Session
A new Brazilian proposal - which supports the concept of agricultural environmental goods and introduces the idea of a request-offer process within the Doha Round negotiations on environmental goods and services - has captured the interest of delegates. Brazil created a flutter at an informal meeting of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) special…
- In Brief
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Canada Launches Trade Dispute over European Seal Products Ban
Canada is taking a strong stance against European countries that have enacted or are planning to enact import bans with regard to Canadian seal products. The Canadian government issued a statement at the end of July on its intention to challenge Belgium at the WTO over a ban on the importation and marketing of seal products,…
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Biofuels to Blame for Rising Food Prices?
The biofuels industry is finding itself in trouble due to rising food costs. The EU recently suspended its agricultural “set-aside” programme - a policy that requires European farmers to set aside ten percent of their land due to massive overproduction 15 years ago - for at least a year, sparking concerns among environmentalists over negative…
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WIPO Extends Mandate for Committee on Genetic Resources, TK
As expected, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) - meeting from 24 September to 3 October in Geneva - agreed to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) for an additional two years. “Members States have reaffirmed their commitment to forging…
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Further 'Rubber Stamp' GMO Approvals in the Pipeline in Europe
Reflecting wide-spread mistrust of genetically engineered farm and food products in Europe, EU agriculture ministers failed once again on 26 September to muster the qualified majority required for the authorisation of three strains of genetically modified (GM) maize found safe by the European Food Safety Authority. Austria, Malta, Poland, Hungary, Slovenia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania and…
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India Fast-Track Imports of Non-living GM Material
India has recently decided to relax the approval process for non-living genetically modified (GM) products. The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests issued a notification on 11 September that exempts foodstuffs that are not Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) from the existing approval process for GMOs. Until present, producers and importers had to go through the Genetic…
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Greenpeace Reports Illegal Fishing by Europeans in Central and Western Pacific
Greenpeace has linked illegal fishing vessels in the Western and Central Pacific, which are endangering the already critical fish stocks in the area, to European fishing firms. The environmental watchdog reports that several large European firms, including Albacora, Calvopesca, and Conservas Garavilla, had vessels licensed to fish in the Eastern Pacific. The ships were sent west…
- Events
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Events
For a more comprehensive list of events in trade and sustainable development, please refer to ICTSD’s web calendar, http://www.trade-environment.org/page/calendar.htm. Coming up in the next two weeks 8-9 October, Montreal, Canada: FIFTH MEETING OF THE AD HOC OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP ON ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING OF THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY (CBD). Internet: http://www.cbd.int/doc/meeting.aspx?mtg=ABSWG-05…
- Resources
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Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch. UNDP-GEF INTERNATIONAL WATERS PROGRAMME - DELIVERING RESULTS. UNDP-GEF, June 2007. This publication highlights the results delivered to date by the UN Development…