Climate change is one of the most important international issues facing the world today. One controversial element of the climate change debate is the relationship between trade agreements and  measures to mitigate the effects of climate change. This course explores key legal and economic issues arising from the climate change debate, including the relationship between the WTO Agreement and multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) that address climate change. The course examines the legality under international trade rules of domestic and international trade measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as measures designed to influence the behaviour of trading partners. Issues addressed include: subsidies and countervailing duties, border tax adjustments, the use of technical regulations and standards to address climate change, how the WTO Agreement treats process and production methods (PPMs) that emit greenhouse gas emissions, and the WTO negotiations on environmental goods and services. Particular attention will be devoted to developing country concerns, including the economic implications for developing countries of WTO rules and MEAs affecting climate change, as well as intellectual property protection issues and technology transfer, including their role in mitigation and adaptation strategies.

In order to provide interested stakeholders from government, business, civil society and academia with a critical analysis o key issues of the ongoing climate change debate, the World Trade Institute (WTI) at the University of Bern (Switzerland) and the United Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) are offering this e-Learning course to a global audience.