For decades, the trajectories of fossil fuel subsidies and world trade have been closely interwoven. Subsidies are well known to damage the international trading system and contribute to climate change. 

In this very interesting blog, published in the 2016 Yearbook of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, New Zealand's Minister of Trade, Todd McClay, asks if its time to start thinking seriously about how the WTO might successfully discipline fossil fuel subsidies? Or if the G-20 and APEC commitments to rationalize and phase-out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies might pave the way towards legally binding agreements? 

Read the full blog here.