Washington, D.C. — Just days before U.S. and European Union officials meet for the next Trade and Technology Council summit, environmental advocates and grassroots activists are urging governments to agree to stop using outdated trade rules to challenge one another’s clean energy and climate initiatives. Advocates say the increasing use of trade agreements to challenge clean energy transition measures is a threat to effective action on climate change.
“The renewable energy programs of eight U.S. states have already been ruled in violation of outdated trade agreements, and the EU is now threatening trade challenges against the Electric Vehicle tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Ilana Solomon, an environmental policy analyst working on behalf of the Trade Justice Education Fund. “The world needs to speed up the transition to a clean energy economy, not slow it down due to corporate-driven trade rules that were written before most countries started taking the climate threat seriously.”
The Trade Justice Education Fund and other groups delivered over 3,800 signatures to trade negotiators today urging the adoption of a Climate Peace Clause during the upcoming Trade and Technology Council talks.
“A Climate Peace Clause is an agreement between governments to halt the use of trade rules to attack each other’s clean energy and climate policies. This is a quick and simple step that the U.S. and EU can agree to immediately to promote more ambitious action on climate change,” said Solomon.
Language similar to a Peace Clause had been included in draft TTC texts that leaked last year, but that language was later reported to have been removed.
“As two trusted trade partners committed to tackling climate change and creating clean energy jobs, a Climate Peace Clause is a commonsense step that the U.S. and EU can take together to show real leadership on this issue,” said Solomon.
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