TTIP und Klimawandel - Risiko oder Chance?

In a book chapter, Christiane Gerstetter, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institute, analyses the impact that the planned Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnerhip (TTIP) between the EU and the US could have on climate change. The book chapter is written in German. It is part of an edited volume entitled "Globalisierung, Freihandel und Umweltschutz in Zeiten von TTIP", which deals with various facets of the trade and environmenta debate.

In her contribution, Christiane Gerstetter discusses what impact TTIP could have on climate change and measures to mitigate it. Any definitive conclusions are difficult given the text of the agreements has not been agreed yet; nonetheless, she analyses on the basis of published draft proposals and positions papers which risks and opportunities for mitigations measures might arise from TTIP.

The mains risks identified are rules on non-discrimination of like products as well as on investment protection. Possible opportunities for making TTIP as climate-friendly as possible would be rules on climate-friendly procurement, on phasing out of subsidies for fossil fuels or harmonisation of climate-related technical standards (e.g. on energy efficieny) in an environmentally ambitious way. However, in the negotiations only the latter option seems to be discussed at all.

Christiane Gerstetter concludes that TTIP carries the risk of a raise in CO₂ emissions; moreover, national climate change measures may require justification against TTIP rules. Conversely, she sees little cause for optimism that climate-related objectives will play a very central role in TTIP. Therefore, there are more risks than opportunities in relation to climate change associated to an eventual agreement.

The book summarises the results of a workshop at which Christiane Gerstetter gave a presentation on The Relationship between International Environmental and Trade Agreements.