The research explores the potential of the trading system in contributing to decarbonization, focusing on the EU and international level.
Professor Dr Rafael Leal-Arcas, Jean Monnet Chair in EU International Economic Law at Queen Mary University of London, publishes new research titled “Trade redemption: How trade agreements can help decarbonize the economy,” published in De Luca, A. and Lubello, V. (eds) The European Union Renewable Energy Transition, Wolters Kluwer, 2019, pp. 77-125.
The purpose of this chapter is to explore the potential of the trading system in contributing to decarbonization, focusing on the EU and international level. This chapter first sets the scene on how trade agreements may be a legal instrument to mitigate climate change and enhance sustainable energy. It then provides an analysis of the challenges of climate change mitigation and of enhancing sustainable energy in the transition towards a decarbonized economy. The chapter then provides the state of the art and then offers to go beyond the state of the art in the trade field to help decarbonize the economy. The chapter then provides a section on the synergistic links between the trading and climate regimes. The penultimate section offers forum options for dealing with the convergence of the trade and climate regimes with the aim to help mitigate climate change and enhance sustainable energy. The chapter ends with a section on what the future may hold on the links between international trade and renewable energy.
Access the chapter.