Renewable energy subsidies and the WTO: The wrong law and the wrong venue

kristyGreen Prosperity, Greentech

Feature Commentary

Renewable energy subsidies and the WTO: The wrong law and the wrong venue
By Aaron Cosbey, Senior Associate, the International Institute for Sustainable Development

Japan recently announced that consultations had failed to resolve its dispute with Canada over the Province of Ontario’s feed-in-tariffs for renewable energy, and that in mid-June it will be asking the WTO to establish a dispute settlement panel. This is awful news for the multilateral trade system, for which the dispute will be corrosive, seemingly pitting trade against the environment. It is clear that the WTO’s dispute settlement system is the wrong place to forge international consensus on renewable energy support measures, but it is also clear that the right place needs to be found, and quickly.

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Also in this issue:

Commentary

Fossil-fuel subsidies and the UN Climate Convention: A way forward on reporting
By Stephen Kretzmann, Executive Director, Oil Change International

As progress towards the G-20’s commitment to reform fossil-fuel subsidies remains slow, advocates and champions of reform have begun to look for next steps and alternative paths. One of the most promising venues where progress is already happening is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

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