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Trade, Finance and Climate Change: Building a Positive Agenda for Developing Countries

Trade and investment can play a key role in facilitating the worldwide transition to a low carbon economy through creating new market incentives. Increased trade and investment can also engender stronger ties and promote collaboration on research and development. It can help upgrade existing facilities, foster competition in the host country, bring in new technology and facilitate its dissemination, and provide more know-how in today's more knowledge-intensive production processes.

Much of the emphasis has been placed on diffusing technologies in the so-called BRIC countries - Brazil, India and China. Also critical is the need to escalate the diffusion of climate mitigation and adaptation technologies in the agricultural, industrial, transport and household sectors for the poor. Many of these are already available but difficult to diffuse due to high investment costs, a lack of incentives, and a dearth of financial resources, especially in non-BRIC countries.

This project is divided into five work streams:

1. Myths and realities: climate change measures and competitiveness
2. Building a vision towards low carbon economies in developing countries
3. Understanding technological and other needs in non-BRIC countries
4. Scaling up renewable energy in developing countries
5. Next steps on intellectual property rights and climate technologies

Forthcoming Papers

Trade, Competitiveness and Climate Change: Making a Case for the New Economy
Briefing Paper
Bernice Lee and Dimitri Zenghelis, November 2008

Understanding Technological and Other Needs in Non-BRIC Countries
Briefing Paper
January 2009

Next Step on IPRs and Climate Technologies
Briefing Paper
April 2009

Building a Vision Towards Low Carbon Economies in Developing Countries
Briefing Paper
July 2009

Policy Approaches for Scaling up Renewable Energy in Developing Countries
Briefing Paper
September 2009

Meetings

Work Stream 1 Workshop, London, October 2008

Work Stream 3 Workshop, London, November 2008

Work Stream 5 Workshop, location TBC, March 2009

Work Stream 1 Workshop, Washington, April 2009

Work Stream 3 Workshop, location TBC, April 2009

Work Stream 2 Workshop, location TBC, July 2009

Work Stream 4 Workshop, London, 2009

Contact

Bernice Lee, Research Director, Energy, Environment and Resource Governance
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7957 5708
Email Bernice Lee