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Established in 1995, the World Trade Organization (WTO) aims to reduce barriers to 'free' trade. The latest round of negotiations, called the Doha round, was launched in November of 2001 and poses serious threats to communities and the environment, including our ability to address climate change. With world leaders vowing to complete Doha Round negotiations of the WTO by 2010, now is the time to reshape the U.S. approach to the talks to ensure that new WTO rules advance, rather than undermine, progress on climate change.
One key area for change is energy services, where the Bush Administration favored requiring developing countries to liberalize and deregulate their energy sectors in ways that would make it harder to promote clean energy. This is the wrong path for the US to take. WTO rules, such as those governing intellectual property rights, will affect the dispersion of low-carbon technology. Experts agree that fighting climate change requires a much wider use of green technologies in developing countries; this has been flagged as an issue in the Doha Round. In addition, policy makers and trade lawyers are debating whether our current trade rules will allow for measures to avoid the relocation of energy-intensive industries to countries with weak regulations on carbon emissions. Countries need the policy space to implement the sweeping changes necessary to tackle climate change without the limitations offered by the WTO's narrow interpretation of trade rules. We will help U.S. policymakers develop a climate-friendly approach to the Doha Round talks.
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