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Call for Tariffs Intensifies as Cap-and-Trade Hits US Agenda
With a new administration in power and a major international conference on the horizon, climate change policy has re-emerged on the agenda in the US Congress. But as the much-anticipated issue takes centre stage, some politicians are already calling for trade barriers to help US industry cope with anticipated challenges if a cap-and-trade scheme is…
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Climate Change Impacts Worse than Predicted: Studies
New studies released at a climate change conference in Copenhagen warn that seas are likely to rise to levels much higher than previously predicted. The studies also suggest that continued deforestation could lead to trees emitting more carbon dioxide than they store. The findings were presented at the International Scientific Congress on Climate Change, which was…
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China Lashes out at Continued Avian Flu Poultry Ban
Beijing is considering a WTO challenge of Washington’s ongoing ban on imports of Chinese chicken products, the Chinese government announced this week. Trade officials from China denounced the measure, which has been in place since 2004 and was extended by recent legislation, at a meeting of the WTO’s Agriculture Committee. Following a 2004 outbreak of avian…
- In Brief
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EU, US Make Progress on Beef Dispute
The US says it will delay imposing retaliatory duties on an array of EU goods as the trading partners hash out a possible fix to the long-standing dispute over hormone-treated beef. The news came on 12 March when the office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) announced that the 23 March tariff implementation date, set…
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Mexico-US Tuna Dispute Moves to WTO
The WTO’s Dispute Settlement Body will consider a complaint from Mexico that US rules on ‘dolphin-safe’ tuna unfairly discriminate against its exports, according to an agenda for the 20 March meeting of the DSB that was released Tuesday. Mexico City says it believes it has a 90 percent chance of winning the suit, the Mexican…
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Financial Crisis Placing Pressure on Forests in Developing World
The initiative to increase forest coverage in the developing world as a means to combat climate change is being threatened by the current global financial crisis, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s report on the State of the World’s Forests. The report suggests that because developing countries often struggle with institutional weaknesses and immense…
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Official Says China Should Not Suffer for Producing World’s Goods
Beijing’s top official responsible for climate change says that China should not be responsible for emissions it creates while manufacturing goods for the rest of the world. The comments came during a 16 March visit to Washington by Li Gao, China’s director of the Department of Climate Change, National Development, and Reform Commission. Li said it…
- Events
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Events
Coming up in the next two weeks (20 March - 3 April) 24-25 March 2009, Singapore. POLICIES THAT PROMOTE ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN TRANSPORT. The event, sponsored by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), will bring together policy makers and experts within the transportation, environment, energy and related fields from the 21 APEC member economies. The workshop’s…
- Resources
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Resources
UNILATERAL CLEAN DEVELOPMENT MECHANISM - AN APPROACH FOR A LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRY?: THE CASE OF YEMEN. By Lia Carol Sieghart, Environmental Science & Policy. Decision parameters prevailing in the market lead to a slim expression of interest of foreign investors for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects in a bi- or multilateral design in Yemen. The…