Trade and climate change : constructing a multilateral agenda for Africa

Abstract

Climate and trade issues lie at the intersection of two of the world's most contested multilateral negotiations--the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the World Trade Organisation's Doha Round. With their complex inter-linkages, there is still no clarity about the rules governing trade and climate change. Within the context of shifting global competitiveness from North to South and West to East, African countries are concerned about the rise of 'green protectionism' and the possibility of unilateral punitive trade measures to support domestic climate action in Europe. This article explores some of these concerns by focusing on the potential trade impact of EU climate policies on Africa, specifically border tax adjustments on commodity exports and carbon standards and labelling for consumer goods. The article provides some ideas on how Europe and Africa can cooperate in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to build better understanding of the adverse impact of these climate measures on Africa's growth and development prospects.