While governments negotiate a multilateral agreement on
climate change, private initiatives have moved forward that have an effect on
trade. Private initiatives have built upon previous experience in labeling and
certification to provide information about the environmental impact of goods and
services. This is designed to inform consumers and to allow companies to reduce
inefficiencies and their impact on the environment. These initiatives are being
supported by government-led efforts to develop and standardize methods to
measure the environmental impact of goods and services. The design of these
methodologies and how to harmonize them into one international standard are
significant ongoing challenges for the global trading system and will have an
impact on exports from Latin America and the Caribbean.
It is clear that whether the initiative is led by governments, the private sector, or both, the region will be affected by the growing demand for detailed carbon footprint accounting in many aspects of economic activity. Policy makers and industry representatives must be prepared for these new requirements and their implications for exports, technical capacity for monitoring, verification and implementation.
This paper focuses on the recent trends of private and unilateral efforts to account for the carbon emissions of traded goods, with the objective of identifying possible risks and opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean exporters. It presents a description of the ongoing initiatives, standards and proposed legislation that are relevant to the discussion. It follows this by identifying the shortfalls and challenges of carbon footprinting, and the implications for Latin American and Caribbean export competitiveness. Finally it provides policy suggestions for the region, assuming the growing demand for carbon emissions accounting.
It is clear that whether the initiative is led by governments, the private sector, or both, the region will be affected by the growing demand for detailed carbon footprint accounting in many aspects of economic activity. Policy makers and industry representatives must be prepared for these new requirements and their implications for exports, technical capacity for monitoring, verification and implementation.
This paper focuses on the recent trends of private and unilateral efforts to account for the carbon emissions of traded goods, with the objective of identifying possible risks and opportunities for Latin American and Caribbean exporters. It presents a description of the ongoing initiatives, standards and proposed legislation that are relevant to the discussion. It follows this by identifying the shortfalls and challenges of carbon footprinting, and the implications for Latin American and Caribbean export competitiveness. Finally it provides policy suggestions for the region, assuming the growing demand for carbon emissions accounting.
 |
Marcelo LaFleur,Nevin Rosaasen.LC/L.3373.September 2011. Comercio internacional series. No. 107.43 pp.
No comments:
Post a Comment
prueba