Until recently, environmental concerns have played only a marginal role in trade policy. The rulebook of the World Trade Organization (WTO) rarely touches upon environ­men­tal concerns and mainly features an exception clause for the protection of the environment (GATT, Art. XX). How­ever, the...

Globalen Herausforderungen, wie dem Klimawandel oder dem Abbau von Protektionismus, kann nur durch neue Formen globaler Kooperation begegnet werden. Die traditionellen Muster multilateraler Kooperation sind in den vergangenen Jahren an ihre Grenzen gestoßen. So wird seit Jahren in der...

Anthropogenic climate change is a formidable global challenge. Yet countries’ contributions to global greenhouse gas emissions and the climate change impacts they face are poles apart. These differences, as well as countries’ different capacities and development levels, have been...

The United Nations (UN) climate summit (COP 21) in Paris is the most important opportunity for years to come to organise effective collective action at the international level to stabilise global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (°C), or at least limit it to a maximum of 2°C; facilitate the...

The adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the conclusion of the Paris Agreement in the closing months of 2015 represented a significant moment in the global movement towards sustainability. There is enormous potential for co-benefits to arise from the mutually supportive...

Die Verabschiedung der Agenda 2030 für nachhaltige Entwicklung und die Unterzeichnung des Übereinkommens von Paris Ende 2015 war ein entscheidender Moment der globalen Initiative für Nachhaltigkeit. Es besteht ein enormes Potenzial für positive Nebeneffekte durch eine sich wechselseitig...

Linking trade to environmental goals is gaining momentum. Ever more discussion about trade and climate interlinkages are prevalent in both the trade and climate policy communities. The dedicated Trade Day at the 28th Conference to the Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on...

China’s economic rise has transformed the global economy in a number of manufacturing industries. This paper investigates whether China’s transformative influence extends to the new green economy. Drawing on the debate about how China is driving major economic changes in the world – the...

Global challenges such as climate change or the dismantling of protectionism can only be countered through enhanced forms of global co-operation. Traditional multilateral co-operation has come up against limits in recent years. For example, efforts to achieve an international climate treaty have...