Trade agreements threaten to undermine every effort to stop the climate crisis. Developed countries are negotiating numerous trade and investment deals that will lock in polluting fossil fuels and business as usual. Trade and investment rules put profits before the planet, limiting governments’ ability to support local renewable energy, and empowering companies to attack environmental protections in secret courts. If we are to keep the increase in global temperature to less than 1.5 oC above pre-industrial levels, this approach is no longer possible. The world needs to agree to a binding global carbon budget in order to ensure a safe and sustainable future.

Photo: Marten van Dijl / Milieudefensie