July 11, 2011
Climate Change and the WTO: Expected Battlegrounds, Surprising Battles
By Daniel M. Firger & Michael B. Gerrard
This article examines the issue of climate change policy and international trade law. While conventional wisdom may have predicted that conflicts in trade law would emerge through climate-related protectionist measures, such as carbon tariffs on imports from countries with less stringent controls on greenhouse gas emissions, the authors point out that government support for climate-friendly technologies has in fact emerged as the primary battleground. The authors examine two recent disputes-between the Unit
Daniel M. Firger is postdoctoral research fellow at Columbia Law School and Associate Director of the Columbia Center for Climate Change Law. He is a graduate of New York University School of Law and the Woodrow Wilson School of Public & International Affairs at Princeton University.Michael B. Gerrard is Andrew Sabin Professor of Professional Practice and Director of the Center for Climate Change Law at Columbia Law School. He also is senior counsel to Arnold & Porter LLP, where he was previously partner in