The International Trade Committee has today launched an inquiry
on COP26 and international trade.
The inquiry comes as the UK prepares to host the 26th
UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, from 31st
October – 12th November 2021.
The Government has identified opportunities to use international
trade to further environmental goals through the promotion of
‘green trade’ at the World Trade Organisation. At the same time,
there is discussion around the environmental impacts of
international trade and how these might be mitigated.
Additionally, the future impacts of climate change may affect
international trade by disrupting infrastructure and transport
routes, and by bringing about new patterns of trade and
production.
The inquiry will consider how international trade and investment
are being considered as part of the COP26 agenda, and how the
Government’s trade and investment priorities align with its
objectives for COP26.
Commenting on the inquiry launch, , Chair of the International Trade
Committee, said:
“As the host nation for the COP26 climate change conference, the
UK has a responsibility to lead from the front on environmental
issues.
“The Government has identified opportunities to promote ‘green
trade’ on the world stage, but it is not clear how these
ambitions will fit with the aims of COP26 and how any
environmental impacts of international trade can be mitigated.
“There are also important questions to be asked about the impact
climate change could have on global trade. If temperatures
continue to rise and our environment continues to change,
transport routes could be disrupted and production methods may
fail.
“This inquiry will explore how international trade features in
the COP26 agenda, how the Government’s trade and investment
priorities align with COP26, and what the potential impacts of a
changing climate are for international trade.”
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Terms of reference
The Committee welcomes written evidence on the following
questions by 7 September 2021:
- How can international trade and investment contribute to
realising the goals of COP26?
- Are international trade and investment likely to feature in
the high-level negotiations at COP26?
- What are the possible impacts of climate change on
international trade and investment?
- To what extent does the Government’s trade policy align with
the objectives of COP26? This includes, but is not limited to,
its actions at the WTO, its G7 presidency, and its bilateral and
plurilateral trade agenda.
- What discussions, if any, are planned to develop a
multilateral approach to carbon pricing systems (including border
adjustment mechanisms), green subsidies and investment funds, the
curbing of fossil fuel subsidies, a circular economy and
sustainable supply chains?
- What impact could an agreement on finance at COP26 have on
trends in international investment?
- What engagement has there been between the COP26 Unit and the
Department for International Trade on the Government’s agenda for
its Presidency?
Form of written evidence
Submissions should be no longer than 3,000 words. The main body
of any submission should use numbered paragraphs. Each submission
should contain:
- a short summary, perhaps in bullet point form;
- a brief introduction about the person or organisation
submitting evidence, for example explaining their area of
expertise or experience;
- any factual information from which the Committee might be
able to draw conclusions, or which could be put to other
witnesses;
- any recommendations for action by the Government or others
which the submitter would like the Committee to consider for
inclusion in its report to the House.
Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not
PDFs) with no use of colour or logos. Guidance on submitting
written evidence and data protection information is available
here: Guidance on submitting
written evidence.
Deadline for submissions
The Committee is asking for initial written evidence to be
submitted through the Committee’s web portalby 7
September 2021.
