Bridges Trade BioRes

Volume 9 • Number 17 5th October 2009

  • World Leaders Weigh In on Climate Change
    At two high-level summits in the past two weeks, world leaders have shown that they are willing to throw their political weight behind a global climate deal. But as scientists are now predicting ever-faster temperature rises in the years ahead, the time to act could be running out.  The climate change summit convened by UN Secretary…
  • New Deal could Slash Tariffs on Green Goods in OECD, China
    Key players in the climate change puzzle are currently negotiating a possible deal that could eliminate duties on environmental goods in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries and China. The EU and US are spearheading the closed-door talks as a means to create an incentive for China to commit further during December’s climate…
  • Civil Society Descends on WTO at Annual Public Forum
    The WTO opened its doors to civil society last week, welcoming more than a thousand participants to its annual Public Forum, held this year from 28-30 September at the organisation’s headquarters on the shores of Lake Geneva. “It is to your needs and aspirations that this organisation must cater,” WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy told the opening…
  • In Brief
  • Lack of Consensus Leaves Bluefin Tuna on the Market
    After several weeks of debate, EU member states were unsuccessful at supporting proposals aimed at temporarily banning international trade of bluefin tuna that environmentalists say is essential to preserving the species and allowing the depleted stocks to recover. Due to the high investment of certain Mediterranean countries in the bluefin tuna industry, however, the majority vote…
  • Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies ‘Principles’ at WTO
    The WTO’s negotiating group on rules resumed its discussion of fisheries subsidies in informal meetings on 24 and 25 September, moving ahead on the basis of a ‘roadmap’ for the talks that the chair, Ambassador Guillermo Valles Galmés of Uruguay, put forward in a draft text in December 2008 (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 23 January…
  • EU Biofuel Consumption Leads to Deforestation, Social Conflict: Report
    Despite efforts to make the industry sustainable, increased consumption of biofuels in the EU is leading to a massive expansion of palm cultivation in a sensitive area of Indonesia, according to a new report by environmental group Friends of the Earth (FOE). The report - which focuses on the Indonesian district of Ketapang on the west…
  • Technology Transfer Key to New Climate Deal: Report
    While there is a general consensus among climate negotiators that technology transfer will be part of a Copenhagen agreement, a new report suggests that technological innovation is lagging far behind the needs for combating climate change. Recently, world leaders attending the G20 Summit in Pittsburgh called on the world to “take steps to facilitate the diffusion…
  • Brazilian Scheme Sparks Controversy over Flex-Fuel Auto Emissions
    An environmental scheme unveiled in Brazil is creating friction between various interests in the auto and fuel industry over how tailpipe emissions are measured. The Brazilian Ministry of Environment (MMA) and the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) have made available on their websites two instruments for identifying the levels of pollution…
  • Events
  • Events
    For a more comprehensive list of events for the trade and environment community visit the BioRes online calendar, http://ictsd.net/news/biores/events/.   Coming up in the next two weeks (2-16 October)   7-9 October, León, Mexico. GLOBAL RENEWABLE ENERGY FORUM 2009: SCALING UP RENEWABLE ENERGY. Co-organised by the Ministry of Energy of Mexico and the UN Industrial Development Organization, this…
  • 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 for review by the Bridges staff to Andrew Aziz     at aaziz@ictsd.ch.   TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT: THE RISING IMPORTANCE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH AMERICAN TRADE AGENDA. By Pedro da Motta Veiga and Sandra…