Benefits and Prospects of Free Trade in Environmental Goods

In 2014, the United States and 17 other countries began negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to create an Environmental Goods Agreement (EGA). The aim of these talks was to remove or reduce tariffs on important environmentally friendly products such as wind turbines, solar panels, and energy‐​efficient technology. An EGA would allow for freer trade in green products, which would increase global access to environmentally friendly goods. Formal negotiations grew to involve 46 WTO members, representing 90 percent of global trade in environmental goods.

But negotiations on the EGA have stalled since 2016, when negotiators encountered trouble defining what would be included in the list of covered goods. Controversial additions to the list by China prompted European Union resistance to the deal, and the Trump administration decided against pushing for the resumption of EGA talks. President Biden should call for a return to negotiations and for negotiators to resolve difficult questions, such as what should count as an environmental good, whether services should be included, how broad the EGA should be, and more.

Please join us at 12:00 p.m. on Monday, November 8, for a discussion featuring U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D‑WA), Maureen Hinman, and Cato’s James Bacchus and Inu Manak.

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