Environment

Le commerce international offre des possibilités uniques pour aider à relever des défis environnementaux toujours plus pressants tout en favorisant la prospérité économique et sociale. Cette nouvelle publication conjointe de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce et d’ONU Environnement montre comment le commerce peut soutenir l’action des pouvoirs publics des entreprises des innovateurs et des consommateurs en vue de renforcer les économies et de protéger l’environnement.

Open global trade supported by a well-functioning “quality infrastructure” has been an important factor in the rapid deployment of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies around the world. Keeping markets open is critically important to ensure that all countries can benefit from solar PV a pillar of the low-carbon sustainable energy system needed to help achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and fulfil the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This report by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) looks at how open transparent and inclusive trade policies can support cost reductions deployment of components and job creation in the solar PV sector strengthening the critical infrastructure needed to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting efforts to rebuild the world economy. The report examines the need for countries to develop a robust quality infrastructure to promote safe trade in solar PV goods and services. This would reduce the risks of unreliable products entering the value chain and ensure stability for investors and other participants in the value chain. The report also looks at the need to strengthen international cooperation and demonstrates how IRENA and the WTO can support efforts to promote a secure and inclusive global solar PV market through the effective use of quality infrastructure.

The creation of the WTO in 1995 marked a crucial step in the history of multilateral trade helping to open up fresh avenues of dialogue on how trade interacts with the environment and how to ensure that trade and environmental policies work hand in hand. This brochure produced to mark the WTO’s 20th anniversary looks into the interplay between trade and environment.

El comercio internacional ofrece oportunidades únicas para ayudar a hacer frente a los crecientes desafíos ambientales impulsando a la vez la prosperidad económica y social. Esta nueva publicación conjunta de la Organización Mundial del Comercio y de ONU-Medio Ambiente pone de manifiesto cómo el comercio puede respaldar la acción de los Gobiernos las empresas los innovadores y los consumidores para mejorar las economías y proteger el medio ambiente al mismo tiempo.

Este folleto de la División de Comercio y Medio Ambiente tiene como objetivo mejorar la comprensión del papel del comercio y las normas comerciales con respecto a las cuestiones ambientales. Busca responder en términos fáciles de entender algunas de las preguntas clave del debate sobre comercio y medio ambiente en lo que respecta al sistema multilateral de comercio.

This publication illustrates how the relationship between CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and the WTO has evolved into a leading example of how global trade and environmental regimes can support each other to achieve shared objectives.

Un commerce mondial ouvert étayé par une "infrastructure de contrôle de la qualité" efficace a été un facteur important dans le déploiement rapide des technologies du solaire photovoltaïque à travers le monde. Il est essentiel de maintenir l'ouverture des marchés pour que tous les pays puissent bénéficier du solaire photovoltaïque axe essentiel du système énergétique durable sobre en carbone qui est nécessaire si l'on veut pouvoir atteindre les objectifs de l'Accord de Paris et accomplir les Objectifs de développement durable définis par l'ONU. Dans le présent rapport l'Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) et de l'Agence internationale pour les énergies renouvelables (IRENA) étudient en quoi des politiques commerciales ouvertes transparentes et inclusives peuvent favoriser la réduction des coûts le déploiement des composants et la création d'emplois dans le secteur du solaire photovoltaïque tout en renforçant l'infrastructure indispensable pour lutter contre la pandémie de COVID 19 et en soutenant l'effort de relance de l'économie mondiale. Le rapport aborde la nécessité pour les pays de mettre en place une infrastructure robuste de contrôle de la qualité pour favoriser un commerce sûr des biens et des services du solaire photovoltaïque. C'est un moyen d'éviter que des produits non fiables entrent dans la chaîne de valeur en même temps qu'un gage de stabilité pour les investisseurs et les autres participants de la chaîne de valeur. Le rapport aborde aussi la nécessité de renforcer la coopération internationale et montre comment l'IRENA et l'OMC peuvent soutenir les efforts visant à promouvoir un marché mondial du solaire photovoltaïque sûr et inclusif par l'emploi efficace d'une infrastructure de contrôle de la qualité.

Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement The Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement aims to ensure that regulations standards testing and certification procedures followed by WTO members do not create unnecessary obstacles to trade. Annual Review of TBT Agreement The WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade collects data on an annual basis on the implementation of the TBT Agreement. The information in this brochure is based on the 2022 review.

Le changement climatique a une incidence profonde sur la vie des populations dans l'ensemble du monde. L'atténuation de ce changement et l'adaptation à celui-ci rendent nécessaires des investissements économiques majeurs et une action coordonnée en vue de la transition vers une économie durable et sobre en carbone. Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2022 examine les liens complexes qui existent entre le changement climatique le commerce international et les politiques climatiques et commerciales. Le commerce international bien qu'il entraîne des émissions de gaz à effet de serre qui contribuent aux catastrophes naturelles d'origine climatique peut aussi être essentiel pour aider les pays à réduire leurs émissions en rendant plus disponibles et plus abordables les biens les services et les technologies environnementaux. De même le commerce international peut jouer un rôle clé en soutenant les pays dans leur adaptation aux effets du changement climatique et dans le renforcement de leur résilience à l'avenir. Le Rapport sur le commerce mondial 2022 montre comment le commerce international et les règles commerciales peuvent contribuer à la lutte contre le changement climatique. Afin que les politiques en matière de commerce et de changement climatique se renforcent mutuellement il faut assurer au niveau mondial la coordination et la transparence des mesures gouvernementales. L'OMC joue déjà un rôle important pour aider les pays à combattre le changement climatique en maintenant un environnement commercial prévisible fondé sur des règles spécifiques à l'Organisation qui rendent possible le commerce international des produits et services essentiels lesquels sont nécessaires pour faire face aux conséquences de ce changement et pour réduire les émissions. La poursuite de la coopération internationale à l'OMC pourrait renforcer la complémentarité des politiques commerciales et des politiques relatives au changement climatique afin que le monde soit mieux à même d'évoluer vers une économie sobre en carbone.

El cambio climático está afectando seriamente la vida de las personas en todo el mundo. La mitigación del cambio climático y la adaptación a sus consecuencias exigirán una gran inversión económica y una actuación coordinada para lograr la transición a una economía sostenible y con bajas emisiones de carbono. En el Informe sobre el comercio mundial 2022 se examina la compleja interrelación entre el cambio climático el comercio internacional y las políticas climáticas y las políticas comerciales. Si bien el comercio internacional genera emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero lo que contribuye a los desastres naturales relacionados con el clima también puede desempeñar una función esencial para ayudar a los países a reducir sus emisiones aumentando la disponibilidad y la asequibilidad de los bienes servicios y tecnologías ambientales. Asimismo el comercio internacional puede jugar un papel fundamental para ayudar a los países a adaptarse a las repercusiones del cambio climático y reforzar su resiliencia de cara al futuro. El Informe sobre el comercio mundial 2022 muestra cómo el comercio internacional y las normas comerciales pueden contribuir a hacer frente al cambio climático. Para garantizar que las políticas comerciales y ambientales se apoyan mutuamente es necesario que las medidas gubernamentales sean transparentes y estén coordinadas a nivel mundial. La OMC ya desempeña una función importante ayudando a los países a afrontar el cambio climático mediante el mantenimiento de un entorno comercial previsible basado en las normas de la OMC que permite el comercio internacional de bienes y servicios esenciales necesarios para hacer frente a las consecuencias del cambio climático y reducir las emisiones. Una mayor cooperación internacional en la OMC puede facilitar que las políticas comerciales y las políticas relativas al cambio climático se refuercen mutuamente y hacer de este modo que el mundo esté mejor preparado para lograr la transición a una economía de bajas emisiones de carbono.

Hydrogen produced exclusively from renewable power – known as green hydrogen – is widely recognised as a key pillar in replacing fossil fuels and decarbonizing sectors that cannot easily be electrified such as some industrial processes shipping and aviation. This publication – jointly produced by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) – explores how trade policies can support the development of green hydrogen markets. The publication highlights in particular how lowering tariffs on key products building reliable infrastructure realigning domestic support programmes and developing green government procurement can foster the development of green hydrogen supply chains and the transition to a low-carbon economy. International trade could also play a significant role in matching supply and demand for green hydrogen as the potential for domestic production in some economies might not be enough to satisfy domestic demand. The publication also addresses the challenges and opportunities for developing economies offered by green hydrogen and its derivatives such as green methanol and green ammonia. It underscores the importance of international cooperation and the need to align regulatory frameworks to encourage technology development enhanced transparency and market growth.

In the 1996 Singapore Report of the CTE Members expressed an interest in undertaking further work to broaden the analysis of the potential environmental benefits of removing trade restrictions and distortions in specific sectors. It is considered that trade liberalization in certain sectors has the potential to yield benefits for both the multilateral trading system and the environment.

Th e main purpose of this Report has been to provide the reader with an understanding of the debate on the linkages between trade and climate change. Th e material reviewed shows that trade intersects with climate change in a multitude of ways. In part this is due to the innumerable implications that climate change may have in terms of its potential impacts and the profound regulatory and economic changes that will be required to mitigate and adapt to these impacts.

This booklet by the Trade and Environment Division of the World Trade Organization (WTO) aims at improving understanding of the role of trade and trade rules with regards to environmental issues. It seeks to answer in easyto- understand terms some of the key questions of the trade and environment debate as they relate to the multilateral trading system. In this sense it is not an exhaustive analysis of the issues covered but rather an attempt to provide basic information and examples to answer some common questions raised about trade and the environment.

Open and transparent trade policies implemented over several decades have resulted in lower barriers to goods and services trade including goods and services related to renewable energies in general and solar PV in particular. More open and transparent trade regimes have enabled the emergence of a globally integrated solar PV market where silicon wafers cells modules inverters mounting systems combiner boxes and other solar PV components along with the machines to manufacture PV cells modules and panels are routinely traded back and forth among countries along tightly integrated value chains. Additional policy efforts to reduce remaining trade barriers and facilitate trade could further enhance solar PV supply chains reduce costs and accelerate the dissemination of solar PV and other renewable energies to where they are needed.

El mundo está hoy más interconectado de lo que lo ha estado nunca. La magnitud de la escala y el alcance de las cadenas de valor mundiales han creado para las empresas y el comercio un nuevo escenario que influye en cómo y dónde se producen y consumen los bienes y los servicios. Los países están unidos por vínculos mucho más estrechos y el papel de los países en desarrollo en el comercio internacional es cada vez más importante. Paralelamente la frecuencia e intensidad del cambio climático y de los desastres naturales asociados a este han aumentado provocando en ocasiones perturbaciones en las redes de producción.

At the Doha Ministerial Conference WTO Members reaffirmed their commitment to health and environmental protection and agreed to embark on a new round of trade negotiations including negotiations on certain aspects of the linkage between trade and environment. In addition to launching new negotiations the Doha Ministerial Declaration requested the CTE in pursuing work on all items in its terms of reference to focus on three of those items and together with the Commitee on Trade and Development to act as a forum in which the environmental and developmental aspects of the negotiations can be debated.

The trade and environment debate is not new. The link between trade and environmental protection consisting of both the impact of environmental policies on trade as well as the impact of trade on the environment was recognized as early as 1970. In the early 1970s there was growing international concern regarding the impact of economic growth on social development and the environment. This led to the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.

In today's globalized world economy QI systems cannot operate in isolation. Cross-border cooperation on QI can help governments achieve sustainable energy systems while helping companies along the solar PV value chain seize market opportunities and avoid unnecessary costs. International cooperation on QI takes different forms from mutual recognition and regulatory provisions in trade agreements to formal cooperation partnerships and regulatory harmonization. The most appropriate approaches in any given situation differ depending on the compatibility of regulatory environments and systems the sector type and degree of regulation already in place and the level of technical and institutional capacity of the countries involved among several other factors.

La présente brochure préparée par la Division du commerce et de l’environnement de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce (OMC) vise à améliorer la compréhension du rôle du commerce et des règles commerciales s’agissant des questions environnementales. L’objectif est de répondre dans des termes simples à certaines des grandes questions du débat sur le commerce et l’environnement qui ont trait au système commercial multilatéral. Ainsi il ne s’agit pas de réaliser une analyse exhaustive des questions visées mais plutôt d’essayer de fournir des renseignements fondamentaux et des exemples pour répondre à certaines questions fréquemment soulevées concernant le commerce et l’environnement.

The world today is more interconnected than ever before. The sheer scale and scope of global value chains have created a new landscape for business and trade influencing how and where goods and services are produced and consumed. Countries are much more linked to one another and developing countries are playing an increasing role in international trade. In parallel the frequency and intensity of climate change and climate-related natural disasters has intensified at times causing disruptions to production networks.

Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the international community. Mitigating global warming and adapting to its consequences will require major economic investment and above all unequivocal determination on the part of policy-makers. With a challenge of this magnitude multilateral cooperation is crucial and a successful conclusion to the ongoing global negotiations on climate change would be the fi rst step towards achieving sustainable development for future generations. As we march towards Copenhagen we all have a responsibility to make a success of these negotiations. Climate change is not a problem that can aff ord to wait. It is a threat to future development peace and prosperity that must be tackled with the greatest sense of urgency by the entire community of nations.

The WTO is central to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which set targets to be achieved by 2030 in areas such as poverty reduction health education and the environment. The SDGs put significant emphasis on the role that trade plays in promoting sustainable development and recognize the contribution that the WTO can make to the 2030 Agenda.