To date, international agreements on trade and climate change have tended to be negotiated in isolation. Yet rules in trade agreements have huge implications for governments’ ability to meet their climate change commitments. The Energy Charter Treaty, a deal which specifically covers investment in the energy sector – covering both fossil fuels and renewables – is perhaps the most obvious example. However, rules agreed at the World Trade Organisation and between countries are also impacting on government policy space to tackle climate change.
In this webinar, The Trade Justice Movement’s Ruth Bergan talks us through these issues and suggests ways in which the UK can develop its post-Brexit trade policy to ensure it is in line with climate commitments.
Ruth Bergan is the Coordinator of the Trade Justice Movement, a national network that campaigns for socially and environmentally sustainable global trade. The role encompasses advocacy at a senior level in the UK and the EU, managing relationships with sixty member organisations, analysing complex trade policy and developing innovative areas of work.
