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Reality check on curbing climate change — trade agreements
Rules accepted under various trade and investment agreements often benefit destructive, extractive industries to the detriment of national and international climate goals and ambitions.
UK trade deals should prioritise economic growth over environmental protections - leaked govt document
The document says it can be very difficult to trade with some countries that do not necessarily support saving the environment but the government says ministers are not considering the advice.
UK secretly dropped climate promises for trade deal with Australia, leaked emails show
Australia pressured the UK not to include binding clauses on the Paris Agreement.
Companies cannot use ECT to sue governments for climate progress, top court says
Environmental organisations have hailed a court decision that could mean the end of a little-known legal mechanism that poses a massive threat to climate action.
Harris: Vietnam to reduce ag tariffs, participate in climate-smart ag
Vice President Harris announced in Vietnam today that Vietnam has agreed to cut its import duties on corn, wheat and pork products.
One big, expensive, avoidable reason why governments won’t take action on climate change
As governments try to phase out coal and leave fossil fuels in the ground, lawsuits from industry investors are starting to pile up around them.
Death by a thousand treaties
Governments must urgently terminate all international investment treaties in force, in particular the Energy Charter Treaty, and stop negotiating new ones.
NGOs urge Slovenia’s minister to propose EU exit Energy Charter Treaty
Slovenian environmental NGOs have called on infrastructure minister Jernej Vrtovec to use the country’s EU presidency to propose a political discussion on the bloc exiting the Energy Charter Treaty.
Blockading global Green New Deals
Tackling trade and investment agreements must be an essential step in achieving justice-oriented action on climate change, health inequities and economic injustice.
XL pipeline absurd $15 billion NAFTA ISDS claim
TC Energy expects to get 15 times more money, coming from taxpayers’ pockets, than the asset losses it experienced from the revocation of a permit, that was already denied twice.
Corporate courts vs the environment
Corporate courts were invented to protect the West’s control of the world against decolonisation. They are now undermining attempts to halt climate change.
Brexit: Australia trade deal may lead to deal with South America, where intensive farming destroys rainforests
‘Any policy allowing imports that do not match UK animal welfare policies simply props up an industry the public has firmly rejected,’ says critic.
Outrage as Italy faces multimillion pound damages to UK oil firm
Secretive tribunals allow fossil fuel companies to sue governments for passing laws to protect environment.
Can we harness the power of trade agreements to achieve our climate ambitions?
Figuring out how to address a worldwide climate crisis using institutions and instruments developed in the past century isn’t easy.
Leaked diplomatic cables show ‘limited progress’ in Energy Charter Treaty reform talks
Little progress has been made to modernise a controversial agreement on energy investments that activists warn could derail decarbonisation efforts in Europe and across the globe, according to leaked documents.
’Disgusting’: Pipeline company files $15 billion claim against US for canceled Keystone XL
TC Energy Corporation filed for compensation under a free trade provision that allows investors to sue governments if they impede profits.
More than 400 civil society organisations say: Leave the ECT by COP26
More than 400 are calling on political leaders across all European countries to prioritise climate policies, to stick to their climate commitments, and therefore to initiate withdrawal from the Energy Charter Treaty by COP26.
US$15 billion ISDS claim against USA over Keystone XL oil pipeline cancellation
TC Energy has lodged a US$15 billion Investor-State Dispute Settlement claim against the US government.
EFTA-Mercosur: another low blow to climate, peoples’ rights and food sovereignty
Emissions from increased bilateral trade in 10 farm products are expected to go up by 15%, compared to 2019, if the EFTA-Mercosur free trade agreement is implemented.
EU-Mercosur trade agreement: No protection of environment and people without renegotiations
CIDSE, MISEREOR and Greenpeace published a new legal opinion that proves that in order to provide effective protection of human rights and environmental standards, the agreement needs to be renegotiated.