Border Carbon Adjustment Mechanisms for the Curious
October 27, 2021 3:00 pm - 5:00 am CET
(By invitation)
This dialogue aimed to foster an informal discussion on BCA design between trade and environment/climate change policy officials from governments that have announced their intention to adopt or consider BCA measures, along with those that have announced ambitious climate targets, but have not yet finalized plans for how they will deal with their energy-intensive trade-exposed industries.
A sister event was also convened, bringing together countries that would be subject to BCA but have no plans to implement one. The discussion considered the relevant policy trends; the policy options available to governments in this space (including BCA) and approaches to consulting with trading partners and to incorporating the development dimension in the design of BCA policies. It also considered possibilities for international cooperation around BCAs, including suggestions for principles and elements of best practice that could form the basis for internationally cooperative approaches.
The discussion was held under the Chatham House Rule.
AGENDA
15:00 – 15:10
Welcome Remarks Nathalie Bernasconi, Senior Director, Economic Law and Policy, IISD
Presentations from governments Michèle Govier, Director-General, international Trade Policy, Finance Canada David Boublil, Deputy Head, non-VAT indirect taxes, DG TAXUD, European Union
15:40 – 16:10
Perspectives from discussants Suzanne Dröge, Senior Fellow, Global Issues, German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) Aaron Cosbey, Senior Associate, IISD
16:10 – 17:00
Open discussion Moderator: Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies, IISD
17:00
Closing remarks Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies, IISD
A COP 26 European Union Side Event, this virtual session hosts three panels on how governments can contribute to the clean transition.
The first panel, Green Budgeting: Towards common principles, reviews the main components of green budgeting as presented by the European Commission, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The second panel, Green Budgeting: How to make it happen?, presents the European Commission's support to EU Member States in developing green budgeting tools.
The third panel, Lessons from COVID-19 Recovery: How public money can contribute to a clean and fair transition, hosted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), will review key trends in governments' COVID-19 responses and discuss how to better consider the social effect of energy policies. Starting at 6:30 p.m. Glasgow time, the panel of experts will take stock of economic recovery policies adopted since 2020. Speakers will share key findings from the Energy Policy Tracker and the OECD Green Recovery Database and discuss how future policies can best support ambitious energy and climate objectives as well as positive social outcomes.
Agenda
5:30–6:10 p.m. GMT: Green Budgeting: Towards common principles
6:10–6:30 p.m. GMT: Green Budgeting: How to make it happen?
6:30–7:00 p.m. GMT: Lessons from COVID-19 Recovery: How public money can contribute to a clean and fair transition
This COP 26 side event explores the potential for a fossil-free, clean, and just development pathway in the Global South. Drawing on findings from research conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, the event will look at the opportunities related to investments in clean energy uses in low- and middle-income countries, as opposed to continued public support to fossil fuels, and highlight key principles for a fair and equitable implementation of such policies and support. A panel of speakers from governments, development banks, and civil society will bring their perspectives on the type of support, international cooperation, and policy settings needed to implement this vision.
Agenda
Introduction
Moderator: Miquel Muñoz Cabré, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute
Presentation of research findings
Shifting Public Support from Gas to Clean Energy and Promoting a Clean Development Pathway in the Global South—Key Findings From the Step off the Gas Report Lucile Dufour, Senior Policy Adviser, IISD
How to Evaluate the Equity and Fairness of Policies and Support—An Introduction to the Energy Justice Index Laima Eicke, Research Associate, IASS
Panel Discussion
Panelists will be invited to share their perspectives and experience on the type of policies, public support, and international cooperation that can enable a fossil-free, clean, and fair transition in the Global South.
Nawa Raj Dhakal, Deputy Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Center, Government of Nepal Nancy Saich, Chief Climate Change Expert, European Investment Bank María Marta Di Paola, Director of Research, Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
With climate change impacts increasing and waves of COVID-19 cases battering countries, the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP 26) is a uniquely meaningful moment in uncertain times.
COP 26 is the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change since the Paris Agreement took over from the Kyoto Protocol in 2020. It is also the first major United Nations environmental meeting to be held in person since the beginning of the pandemic.
At the midway point of the conference, join the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team live from Glasgow as they host a concise webinar on:
What progress they saw in the negotiating rooms during week one
Predictions for week two outcomes based on the trajectory of talks.
With half the hour devoted to answering your questions and observations, the COP 26 Halfway Point Webinar is a chance for experts to pose niche questions and newcomers to gain insights from the team behind the world's most authoritative record of climate negotiations. Register now and then subscribe to the Earth Negotiations Bulletin newsletter to get daily updates from COP 26.
Infrastructure provides essential services worldwide that communities rely on. But how do we ensure that new infrastructure is cost effective, environmentally friendly, and resilient to changing climates? The answer lies in nature.
Building with nature offers us a more sustainable alternative to engineered or “grey” infrastructure. Its regenerative characteristics make it more efficient and less expensive to manage and maintain—it is much less carbon-intensive, it can help communities adapt to climate change, and it provides a wide range of additional benefits, from job creation to improved well-being for citizens.
In sum, nature-based infrastructure can provide valuable ecosystem services and adaptation benefits, all while supplying public services that generate sustainable patterns of development. Over the longer term, it offers long-term value for money—so why is the value of forests, mangroves, wetlands, grasslands, agricultural lands, trees, and green spaces so often overlooked?
The reason nature-based infrastructure is not being scaled up enough to fulfill its potential is because our knowledge of its performance, predictability, and financial viability has—until now—been limited.
The NBI Global Resource Centre aims to overcome the evidence gap that investors, project developers, and other key stakeholders face when they evaluate whether to invest in nature.
This global event launched the NBI Global Resource Centre and offered a unique high-level perspective from leaders in the field on how to scale up nature-based infrastructure and make the most of the innovative services offered by the new platform.
Speakers
Chizuru Aoki, Lead Environmental Specialist, The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
André Hoffmann, President, MAVA Foundation
Li Yong, Director General, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
Richard Florizone, President and CEO, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Professor Josephine Kaviti Musango, Stellenbosch University
Aloke Barnwal, Senior Climate Change Specialist, The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
Moderator: Dr. Sandy Andelman, Vice President, Conservation Strategy & Partnerships at Wildlife Conservation Society
Implications of the Eco Oro Decision for Investment Treaty Negotiations and Reforms
A roundtable discussion on the Eco Oro investment arbitration award.
October 28, 2021 3:00 pm CET
(Open to public)
In a recent decision, the investment tribunal in Eco Oro v. Colombia held that a GATT-style environmental exception in the Canada–Colombia bilateral investment treaty (BIT) did not preclude Colombia from enacting certain regulatory measures but implied an obligation to compensate the investor. This interpretation is widely considered to have disregarded Canada’s and Colombia’s intentions when signing the BIT. It also raises serious concerns for how arbitrators interpret states’ treaty language designed to protect policy space for environmental regulation and other public interest issues.
Similar exceptions are widely used in existing International Investment Agreements (IIAs), including recent instruments. What does this mean for developing countries’ efforts to reform existing and negotiate new investment treaties? This webinar provided a platform for developing country investment negotiators to discuss this award, share lessons learned, and reflect on concrete solutions.
Focussing on the perspective of investment treaty negotiators, panellists discussed key issues in the wake of Eco Oro: What was decided, and which types of treaty provisions are affected? What are the implications for the existing stock of old-style treaties, model treaties and their recent updates? How can the decision inform countries’ strategies in defending ISDS claims? Ultimately, what lessons could be drawn from the Eco Oro decision in the context of current global reform processes of the international investment policy regime?
Moderator
Dr. Suzy Nikièma, Lead Sustainable Investment, Investment Law and Policy Program (ELP), International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Speakers
J. Benton Heath, Assistant Professor at Temple University, Beasly School of Law
Simon N. Batifort, Partner, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt and Mosle LLP
Nyaguthii Maina, International Law advisor, ELP, IISD
Lukas Schaugg, International Economic Law Fellow, ELP, IISD
This webinar is part of a larger series of webinars aimed at supporting developing country investment negotiators as they consider options for reform. Prior webinars on similar issues can be found here.
Emerging Strategies for Mobilizing Finance for Climate Adaptation Priorities
This session at Adaptation Futures 2020 will highlight developing countries’ recent experiences in preparing strategies for mobilizing financial resources for adaptation.
As developing countries make progress in the formulation and implementation of their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, a growing number have or are preparing financing strategies to support achievement of their adaptation priorities. As experience with the creation and implementation of financing strategies for adaptation is growing, there is greater opportunity to explore the benefits and challenges associated with these strategies.
Sustainable Financing for Soil Remediation Projects in China and Beyond
This event showcased the most recent research emerging from IISD's joint project with the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA) on financing soil remediation projects.
October 19, 2021 11:30 am - October 21, 2021 1:30 pm GMT
(Open to public)
Sustainable finance has gained considerable traction in the finance industry in recent years, but a massive gap still exists in mobilizing adequate resources to address legacy and existing environmental and climate problems. One such example is the remediation of contaminated or otherwise degraded soil.
While maintaining healthy soil is crucial to tackling climate change, human activities—including impacts from climate change—are contributing to an increasingly alarming rate of soil contamination and degradation. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has erased years of development progress and resulted in major setbacks to all sources of finance for sustainable development.
As public budgets tighten, governments around the world are looking for opportunities to attract private capital participation to help address land remediation and subsequent redevelopment and productive use. The business case lies intrinsically in the value captured in property value increases and related business opportunities once remediation is complete. However, in cases where land value is lower and related revenue streams are uncertain, the case for private capital participation is less compelling. Governments, in this case, must fund the remediation through public budgets and then seek out opportunities to partner with private counterparties to use the land as “fit for purpose.”
How can traditionally non-bankable environmental projects, such as soil remediation, become worthwhile investments for holders of private capital? What legal and policy instruments are available to help maximize the value of sustainable finance vehicles in addressing environmental issues in practice? What are the key policy considerations government agencies and regulators should have in mind when designing and managing soil remediation projects? How can policy-makers ensure that the limited investments from the public purse are used optimally? In addition to limited financial resources, what are some other regulatory or technical bottlenecks that may hinder the soil remediation efforts?
These questions lie at the centre of a research project being jointly carried out by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Norwegian Institute for Water Research (NIVA). With support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the objective of the project is to harness the full range of green finance approaches and vehicles to the task of funding remediated of contaminated soils in China. The research looked at several case studies of soil remediation projects in China and identified potential funding avenues, including blended finance options, especially in those areas most difficult to attract private sector funding.
The partners co-organized this virtual symposium on this topic from 19-21 October 2021. The goal of the event was to share the most recent research findings, engage in broader discussions with experts and practitioners in the field, and establish a community of global experts and practitioners where they can exchange experiences and discuss emerging sectorial trends.
The event took the form of three two-hour sessions spread over three days, with each day dedicated to a specific perspective.
Session One: Governance Perspective
Moderator: Hongqiao Liu, Journalist and China environment policy expert
Speakers:
Dimitri de Boer, Chief Representative for China, ClientEarth
Zhanfeng Dong, Deputy Director, Department for Environmental Policy, Chinese Academy of Environmental Planning, Ministry of Environmental Protection (China)
Dietmar Müller-Grabherr, General Secretary, Common Forum on Contaminated Land
Steve Wolfson, Senior Attorney, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Session Two: Industry Perspective
Moderator: Hongqiao Liu, Journalist and China environment policy expert
Speakers:
Nikolai Friberg, Research Director for Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Arne Pettersen, Section Leader for Environmental Chemistry, Norwegian Geotechnical Institute
Xiaoming Wan, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hua Zhang, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Session Three: Financing Perspective
Moderator: Hongqiao Liu, Journalist and China environment policy expert
Speakers:
Thiago Chagas, Lead Legal Consultant, Climate Focus
Ingvild Skumlien Furuseth, Research Assistant, Norwegian Institute for Water Research
Kenneth Patterson, Director of the Regional Support Division, Office of Site Remediation Enforcement, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Lan Wang, Associate Professor of Law, East China Normal University
Chenghui Zhang, Former Director-General, Research Institute of Finance, Development Research Center of the State Council (China)
Worldwide, the climate crisis is accelerating faster and more severely than previously anticipated. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Sixth Assessment Report predicts that the world will reach 1.5°C of warming in two decades, much earlier than anticipated. As the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) approaches and as leaders make new and ambitious commitments at the UN Food Systems Summit, it has become clear that collective action is necessary for enhancing gender-responsive and climate-resilient food systems.
While the link between gender and climate change is not always obvious, evidence increasingly demonstrates that women and men experience climate change differently, that climate change increases women’s vulnerabilities, and that gender inequality worsens women's coping capacities. How do international policies and legal frameworks address the gender, climate change, and agriculture nexus? How does gender inclusion in climate change policies and the international debate improve the effectiveness of climate action? These are some of the questions that we explored during this event.
The sixth virtual dialogue of the Parliamentarians Actions for Gender Equality and Resilient Food Systems in Response to COVID-19 series, was held on September 29, 2021, 14:00–16:00 CEST, and focused on the nexus of climate change, food systems, and gender equality.
Watch the recording of the event in English
Watch the recording of the event in French
Moderator: Kulthoum Omari-Motsumi, Gender and Climate Change Expert, IISD
Panellists
Sekou Sangaré, ECOWAS Commissioner for Agriculture, Environment and Water Resources
Zitouni Ould Dada, Deputy Director, FAO
Angie Daze, NAP Global Network, IISD
Hon. Joseph Kamano, MCA Maela and Chairman of the Sectoral Committee in Water, Sanitation, Environment, Energy and Natural Resources at Nakuru County Assembly
Hon. Marie-Virginie Kouassi, President of the Caucus of Women Parliamentarians of Côte d'Ivoire
Colette Benoudji, Co-ordinator, LEAD, Chad
Hon. Barthelemy Kassa, Member of Parliament in Benin
Tasila Banda, National Project Coordinator, Zambia Integrated Forest Landscape, Government of Zambia
Nisreen Elsaim, UNFCCC constituency of Youth Non-Governmental Organizations (YOUNGO)
This virtual meeting is the sixth in a series of dialogues organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), IISD, and Oxfam as part of their policy support to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality and Investments in Agriculture and Food Security. The objective of the series is to enhance the role of African parliamentarians in mitigating the gender-differentiated impacts of COVID-19 on food systems.
This session was organized by the Pew Charitable Trusts and IISD. Panellists looked at how a successful WTO agreement on curbing subsidies for overfishing could pave the way for a stronger multilateral trade and environment agenda. The event provided expert views and a forum for discussion of what the new agreement means and why it matters for the ocean and the multilateral trading system. Panellists also considered how the agreement’s implementation will be a catalyst for sustainable trade and a sustainable future.
Panellists:
Chris Costello, Co-director of the Sustainable Fisheries Group, University of California, Santa Barbara
Richard Damania, Chief Economist of the Sustainable Development Practice Group, The World Bank Group
Sebastian Mathew, Executive Director, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF)
Alexandre Parola, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the WTO, Permanent Mission of Brazil to the WTO
Moderator:
Alice Tipping, Lead, Sustainable Trade and Fisheries Subsidies, IISD
