Climate change, green paradox models and international trade rules

Trade, Climate and Energy: A New Study on Climate Action through Free Trade Agreements

“…While trade can lead to more efficient use of natural resources, raise income levels to thresholds where public support for environmental goals strengthens, enable producers of environmental goods and services to expand and subsequently disperse green technologies worldwide [3][4][5][6], it can also have negative environmental impacts and exacerbate climate change. Trade-induced expansion of human economic activity can consequently increase carbon and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accelerate the depletion of natural resources, threaten eco-systems and drive down environmental standards in the pursuit of international competitiveness [7][8][9][10]. Trade's net balance effects on the environment will depend on the scale of trade-induced economic growth, the composition of this trade and how trade-related improvements in technology can reduce emission levels [11,12].…”

“…In most of the African regional FTAs of this period (see Table 2), the promotion of renewable energy was set in an explicit energy security rather than an environmental context. For example, both the 1983 Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the 1991 African Economic Community (AEC) agreements state in mirrored provisions that its members will "Promote the development of new and renewable energy in the framework of the policy of diversification of sources of energy" (Article 54.2c of both agreements), and moreover were in both FTAs preceded in their own parallel commitment to "Establish appropriate co-operation mechanisms with a view to ensuring a regular supply of hydrocarbons" (Article 54.2b of both agreements), thus simultaneously promoting fossil fuel sector development for apparently similar motives and thus leading to particular 'green paradox' outcomes [10]. The 1993 Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), 1993 Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and 1999 East African Community (EAC) agreements also contained similar energy security focused measures on renewables, hence being of tangential climate relevance at best.…”