COP29 Baku: Why it is important to address the unilateral trade measures by developed countries

The 29th Conference of Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has been on in Baku, Azerbaijan, since November 11, 2024.

A proposal by the BASIC group of countries (Brazil, China, India, and South Africa) has requested the COP29 Presidency and the UN Climate Change Secretariat to add the following item to the climate conference agenda: “Concerns with climate-change related unilateral restrictive trade measures, and identifying the ways to promote international cooperation in line with the First GST Outcome”.

This proposal addresses measures such as carbon border taxes such as the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM), set to come into effect in 2026, along with the deforestation regulation (EU DR), which has now been postponed.

As researchers and civil society representatives from the Global South, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) support this proposal. The concerns of developing countries regarding these policies must be heard and addressed to foster true cooperation towards the Paris Agreement’s goals and its pursuit of the UNFCCC.

Join Avantika Goswami and Trishant Dev from the Climate Change team of CSE take a deep dive into complications regarding unilateral trade policies and how it affects developing countries.