The Trade and Climate Change conference is a joint effort of the U.S.-based Farm Foundation and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute to explore topics in the context of a global trading environment where climate change policies have become increasingly ambitious and diverse among international players. The conference will explore topics such as climate change policies and their impacts on agricultural production and trade, border carbon adjustments as a mechanism for adjudicating among climate change policies amidst global competitors, and how various industry players are adapting to new policies through opportunities like carbon markets and offsets, sustainable sourcing, and investments.
This work builds on the recent collaboration between the Farm Foundation and CAPI on “Trade and Sustainability” and “Trade in an Increasingly Chaotic World.”
Agenda
Day 01
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
- 11:45 AM CDT
Given the increasingly ambitious climate change policies being introduced in the U.S., Canada and the EU that target zero net carbon emissions by 2050, there is increasing concern about potential carbon leakage and the decline in competitiveness due to their more stringent policies relative to competitors. This session will focus on the potential scope, design, and impact of a Border Carbon Adjustment (BCA) that is being considered, with a focus on how a BCA could unduly disadvantage developing countries and hence the importance of technology transfer for more equitable outcomes.
- 5:00 PM CDT
- 1:00 PM CDT
- 2:30 PM CDT
In light of the renewed commitment to the UN Paris Accord made by the Biden administration in the U.S., the Climate Plan in Canada, and the Green New Deal in the EU, this session will focus on the impacts of country-specific climate change policies on agricultural production, trade, global food security and competitiveness. The findings of a recent ERS study that analyzed the impacts of the EU Green New Deal under various scenarios will help set the stage.
- 2:45 PM CDT
- 4:15 PM CDT
In this session, panelists will discuss climate actions in their countries as well as various carbon pricing options adopted in other jurisdictions and potential border measures to prevent carbon leakage. Panelists will discuss what challenges and opportunities they foresee given new and evolving standards and expectations for factoring climate change into trade agreements, while ensuring food security.
- 5:00 PM CDT
Day 02
Friday, April 9, 2021
- 11:45 AM CDT
In this session, trade policy experts familiar with the USMCA governing trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, will present their views on how climate change policies in the three countries will need to interact in order to comply with the rules-based system in this new area of policy.
- 5:00 PM CDT
- 1:00 PM CDT
- 2:30 PM CDT
In this session, industry experts will discuss how industry is playing their part in addressing climate change within the context of sustainability and trade. With the new U.S. administration priorities recently identified and the new Canada Climate Plan, industry experts will outline the challenges and the opportunities that come along with these new goals.
- 2:45 PM CDT
- 4:00 PM CDT
This final session of the conference will bring trade policy, climate and measurement together. We will look ahead for the key trade and climate policy initiatives and the critical role that measurement will play. We will highlight some of the current challenges and opportunities with measurement. We will close with their vision for a roadmap forward.
- 5:00 PM CDT