Cross-Border Trade in Electricity and the Development of Renewables-Based Electric Power: Lessons from Europe

To benefit fully from cross-border trade in electricity, interconnected countries need to establish a non-discriminatory trading regime based on co-operation and co-ordination, says this study of trade in renewables-based electric power in Europe.

Blog post: Fossil fuel subsidies - billions up in smoke?

A new OECD report presents around 550 measures that support fossil-fuel production or use in the OECD’s 34 member countries and also highlights the successes and challenges in bringing about reform, says this OECD Insights blog post.

Illegal Trade in Environmentally Sensitive Goods

Developing effective policies to reduce illegal trade in environmentally sensitive goods requires a clear understanding of what drives this trade and the circumstances under which it thrives, says this report.

Trade: Greener export credit rules approved

OECD countries have agreed new rules to strengthen current environmental and social due diligence processes when providing export credits and to create financially prudent incentives to support business projects with low CO2 emissions. The second agreement also aims to encourage support for advanced climate-friendly technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

Promoting Energy Efficiency Through Trade

A first step to facilitating trade in energy-efficient products is to encourage developing and emerging economies to reform their policies in trade and energy-pricing, according to this paper which draws on work by Japan’s Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE).

OECD Trade and Environment Working Papers

OECD papers on trade and environment, free to access and download, on how trade affects the environment and how environmental concerns affect trade, covering a wide range of issues and countries.

Implementing Regional Trade Agreements with Environmental Provisions: A Framework for Evaluation

OECD analyses how the increasing number of regional and bilateral trade agreements deal with environmental issues. This document sets out a framework for evaluating the implementation of environmental provisions in regional trade agreements.

Related Documents

• Regional Trade Agreements and Environment

OECD and IEA recommend reforming fossil-fuel subsidies to improve the economy and the environment

Governments and taxpayers spent about half a trillion dollars last year supporting the production and consumption of fossil fuels. Removing inefficient subsidies would raise national revenues and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, according to OECD and IEA analyses.

The Trade Effects of Phasing Out Fossil-Fuel Consumption Subsidies

A co-ordinated multilateral removal of fossil-fuel consumption subsidies over the 2013-2020 period would increase global trade volumes by 0.1% by 2020, according to this report.

Trade-Related Measures Based on Processes and Production Methods in the Context of Climate-Change Mitigation

How is international trade affected by climate change mitigation measures relating to non-product-related processes and production methods (PPMs)? This study looks at PPM measures adopted in the United States, the European Union, Canada and other countries.