Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 8 • Number 8 • 2nd May 2008
Resources
If you have a relevant resource (books, papers, bulletins, etc.) you would like to see announced in this section, please forward a copy for review by the Bridges staff to Malena Sell at msell@ictsd.ch.
THE MUTLILATERAL TRADE AND INVESTMENT CONTEXT FOR BIOFUELS. By Sophia Murphy (IIED, 2008). This paper looks at the multilateral trade and investment context for biofuels. Biofuels are a relatively new arrival in the world of global trade, though not quite so new to investors. A few countries, notably Brazil, have a biofuel industry that dates back to the 1970s, but it is only in the last few years that biofuels have captured the headlines and really taken off. The production, investment and the time given to biofuels on the policy agenda have all increased exponentially since 2003. This paper is focused on the agricultural crops that are being converted into liquid fuel on a commercial scale, especially, but not only, in response to the recent surge in demand from both the EU and the United States, two of the world’s largest energy users. The biofuels reviewed are ethanol and biodiesel, which are the principal traded biofuels. The analysis looks at trade issues for biofuels, investment issues for biofuels, and some of the issues on developing standards. The paper concludes with some proposals for how governments, particularly small and medium-sized economies, might develop appropriate trade and investment rules to support a fair and sustainable biofuels sector. The paper is available at http://www.iied.org/pubs/display.php?o=15513IIED
"Environmental Policy In The European Union: Fostering The Development Of Pollution Havens?" By Lisa A. Cave and Glenn C. Blomquist in ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS 65 (2, 2008). A pollution haven occurs when dirty industries from developed nations relocate to developing nations in order to avoid strict environmental standards or developed nations imports of dirty industries expand replacing domestic production. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the European Union (EU) has increased its imports of "dirty" goods from poorer, less democratic countries during a period of more stringent environmental standards.
"Climate Change And Biofuels As "Environmental Goods And Services." By Soledad Aguilar in ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND LAW 38 (1-2, 2008). The WTO Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) convened a Special Session to address the liberalisation of EGS, focusing in 2007 on defining which goods shall be classified as "environmental" in order to be subject to preferential treatment. In these discussions, some previous positions were altered. In WTO discussions of the listing of agricultural goods such as biofuels and organic products, developing countries are favouring broader inclusion, while developed countries are suggesting a short list of climate-friendly goods and services (for prompt liberalisation), and a limit on other inclusions.