The world’s leading econ-omies are today due to launch negotiations to reduce tariffs and otherbarriers to the global trade of green goods, amid warnings that reaching a deal could be more difficult than first thought.
The US, EU, China and 11 other countries announced the push on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in January, just months after US President Barack Obama made it a priority as part of his action plan to address climate change.
But the negotiations in Geneva this week will have to tackle issues that have caused similar efforts to break down in the past. These include how to define an “environmental good” and whether countries are prepared to remove protections for their own industries at a time when renewable energy is the subject of a growing number of trade disputes.