Trade & The Climate Crisis

Climate Deception: Non-binding “Targets” for Climate, but Binding Rules on Trade in Services

Manicandan — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 06:48:28 +0000

4 December, 2015

The Huffington Post

The whole world is watching as world leaders from nearly every country across the globe meet in Paris this week to set carbon emission reductions targets to address global climate change. Unfortunately representatives of 50 of the same governments are also meeting this week in Geneva to negotiate binding rules that will seriously constrain countries’ ability to meet those targets.

4 December, 2015 (All day)

TiSA (Trade in Services Agreement) could become a major obstacle for governments willing to switch from fossil fuels to renewable sources of energy

Manicandan — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 08:01:18 +0000

4 December, 2016

UNI Global Union

The new leaked text of the Annexes on Energy and Environmental Services for the Trade in Services Agreement was published by Wikileaks on the 3rd of December. TiSA is being negotiated by 22 countries representing 70% of global trade behind closed doors in a secret room in Geneva while all eyes are on Paris where UN public talks are in full swing to design a new climate regime.

4 December, 2016 (All day)

Global Civil Society letter on the Nairobi Ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO), December 9, 2015

Manicandan — Wed, 09 Dec 2015 19:28:26 +0000

9 December, 2015

Refuse signatories

As members of 453 civil society organizations including trade unions, environmentalists, farmers, development advocates, and public interest groups from over 150 countries, we are writing today to express extreme alarm about the current situation of the negotiations in the WTO. We urge you to take seriously the need for the upcoming Nairobi Ministerial to change existing WTO rules to make the global trading system more compatible with people-centered development, and to forestall efforts by some developed countries to abandon the development agenda and replace it with a set of so-called “new issues” that actually are non-trade issues that would impact deeply on domestic economies and constrain national policy space required for development and public interest.

9 December, 2015 (All day)

Trade in Environmental Goods May Not Actually Be So Good

Manicandan — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 11:27:24 +0000

27 January, 2014

Huffington Post

On Jan. 25, a group of World Trade Organization (WTO) countries including the United States, the European Union, Australia, and Canada, launched a new set of negotiations to eliminate tariffs on a set of supposedly environmentally beneficial products. In this article Ilna Solomon of Siera Club argues that the initiative may actually harm the environment.

27 January, 2014 (All day)

Global Turn Around!

verda.cook — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:14:49 +0000

1 April, 2010

2 April, 2010

Refuse signatories

A call to unite and confront the converging global crises of our times, replace the trade and investment pacts and related juggernauts of the corporate-driven global economy, and start building a sustainable economic future together.

2 April, 2010 (All day)

Pronunciamiento de la ASC ante la nueva cumbre ministerial de la OMC

karen.lang — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:31:40 +0000

30 November, 2009

Alianza Social Continental

Entre el 30 de noviembre y el 2 de diciembre de 2009 se realizará en Ginebra la VII reunión ministerial de la OMC. Será un nuevo esfuerzo de reanudar las negociaciones de la Ronda de Doha, iniciada hace 8 años, y un escenario donde los países desarrollados nuevamente intentarán imponer su propia agenda de liberalización y desregulación de los mercados.

30 November, 2009 (All day)

Biggest emitters fail to show the way forward

verda.cook — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:54:44 +0000

10 June, 2009

Financial Times

Kathrin Hille in Beijing and Edward Luce in Washington

China and the US failed to achieve a breakthrough at their latest round of
climate talks on Wednesday, raising the stakes in the global effort to fight
global climate change.

The two countries responsible for almost half of the world¹s greenhouse gas
emissions ended three days of negotiations in Beijing.

While there are still months to go until the December meeting in Copenhagen,
where 181 countries, led by the United Nations, plan to work out a new

10 June, 2009 (All day)

Ken Saro-Wiwa: the day of truth?

verda.cook — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 21:20:18 +0000

20 May, 2009

Transnational Institute / The Guardian

It will send shockwaves through boardrooms if the predictions of the executed campaigner are proved right in a US court

20 May, 2009 (All day)

Lula Calls on Saudis to Join Brazil in Creating Petrochemical Powerhouse

verda.cook — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:51:21 +0000

18 May, 2009

Brazzilmag

Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said this Sunday, May 17, at the end of a two-day trip to Saudi Arabia, that he called on king Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for the two countries to jointly seek reciprocal investment opportunities.

18 May, 2009 (All day)

Chamber Fears Climate Talks Could Set the Stage for TRIPS Changes

verda.cook — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:50:31 +0000

15 May, 2009

Inside US Trade

Global climate change negotiations could become the battleground to hammer out a second clarification of intellectual property protection rules in the World Trade Organization to strengthen developing countries rights to use patented technology without authorization of rights holders, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

15 May, 2009 (All day)

Adapting the International Trade Regime to New Challenges: Climate Change

verda.cook — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:09:05 +0000

13 May, 2009

Tim Groser

But I am acutely conscious that this focus on the traditional agenda, appropriate though it is, should not obscure the vital need to refresh the mandate of the WTO to deal with tomorrow's problems. Here, the interface between the international trade agenda and the climate change agenda looms larger than any single issue.

13 May, 2009 (All day)

EU raises stakes for US in biodiesel battle

verda.cook — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:29:55 +0000

5 March, 2009

Financial Times

The European Union is gearing up to slap duties on imported US biodiesel in the latest sign of rising trade tensions as world economies slump into
recession.

5 March, 2009 (All day)

Change Trade, Not our Climate

verda.cook — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:58:41 +0000

Accept signatories

One way or another change is on the way: if we don’t change the rules of the global economy we won’t be able to limit climate change.

SIGN-ON LETTER CALLING FOR REPAYMENT OF CLIMATE DEBT

verda.cook — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 22:06:41 +0000

TWN

2 June, 2009

Dear Friends, As the the climate negotiations intensify on the road to Copenhagen, a key issue that has occuppied much attention is the issue of mitigation and the burden-sharing between developed and developing countries.

Call to action for 9th WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, December 2013

Manicandan — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 13:22:37 +0000

31 October, 2013

On the occasion of 9th WTO Ministerial Conference to be held from 3 to 6 December 2013 in Bali, Indonesia, Our World Is Not For Sale network calls upon its members, trade unions, farmers, civil society organizations and people at large to take action and send message to governments across the world to "Stop Expansion of the WTO and Shut Down the Corporate “Trade” Attack and to prioritize Food, Jobs, Peoples’ Rights and Sustainable Development First!"