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tuesday, 17 july
2001
kyoto deal will melt wto
chill effect
Expert legal opinion, from the University of
Hamburg, published in Bonn today, argues that
the WTO "chill factor" should not discourage
governments from signing up to the Kyoto
Protocol and agreeing effective rules and
mechanisms at COP 6.2 in Bonn.
The report argues that the US, in Bonn to
ìprotect its trade interestsî, would find it
extremely hard to challenge countries over
policies introduced to implement the Kyoto
Protocol, even if those policies distorted
trade. Even measures introduced to minimize
the effects of climate policies on
international competitiveness - such as
border tax adjustments, could be defensible
if governments were to negotiate such
approaches within the framework of the
Protocol.
Commenting, Friends of the Earth Trade
Campaigner, Duncan McLaren, said:
"This welcome report is a clear call to
Governments to ratify and implement the Kyoto
Protocol, and to ignore the industrial
lobbyists and obstructive Governments which
claim - incorrectly - that Kyoto would
undermine competitiveness".
For further information contact:
Duncan McLaren - +44-7941-920 469 (in
Bonn)
Ian Willmore (media liaison) 0174 160
4808
The report ìInternational Trade Law and
Climate Changeî was written by Matthias Biuck
and Roda Verheyen at the University of
Hamburg for the Freidrich Ebert Stiftung.
Roda Verheyen, working for Friends of the
Earth in Bonn, is available for comment on 00
49 (0)179-465 2979
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