Foreword

This volume is the latest demonstration of the commitment by Brookings to contribute in every possible and appropriate way to finding a solution to the existential problem of climate change. The debate on this subject has shifted from science to public policy. Though no consensus has emerged, it is clear that addressing climate change effectively will require understanding the deep interactions between it and other policy areas. Reaching an international agreement for meaningful global action will require diplomacy at the highest level. Sustaining lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions will require a new energy infrastructure. And reducing emissions could end up reshaping almost every aspect of nations’ domestic economies. Trade lies at the intersection of diplomacy and economic policy, and hence will be implicated in a push for action on climate change. Climate Change, Trade, and Competitiveness: Is a Collision Inevitable? examines this interaction from the perspective of economics, law, and international relations. The contributors discuss the role of trade in mitigating the negative effects of climate change on domestic industries, in determining the legality of climate change policy, and in reaching a global agreement on climate change. They lay out the complex decisions facing policymakers and make concrete suggestions for the path forward.

This volume, edited by Lael Brainard and Isaac Sorkin, includes papers by William Antholis of the Brookings Institution, Jason Bordoff of Brookings, Thomas Brewer of Georgetown University, Jeffrey Frankel of Harvard University, Warwick McKibbin of the Australian National University and Brookings, C. Ford Runge of the University of Minnesota, and Peter Wilcoxen of Brookings and Syracuse University. The volume includes comments by Joseph Aldy of Resources for the Future, Nils Axel Braathen of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Colin Bradford Jr. of Brookings, Daniel Drezner of Tufts University, (Tom) Hu Tao of the State Environmental Protection Administration of China, Arik Levinson of Georgetown University, Muthukumara Mani of the World Bank, and Andrew Shoyer of Sidley Austin LLP. The volume also includes concluding reflections from Jagdish Bhagwati of Columbia University and the Council on Foreign Relations. The initial drafts of the papers, comments and reflections included in this volume were delivered at a conference held in Washington in June 2008.

The editors wish to thank Alfred Imhoff for rapid and precise copyediting, and Janet Walker of the Brookings Institution Press for her work in bringing the manuscript to publication. The authors remain responsible for the content of their chapters, including any errors or omissions. Special thanks are also due to Sandy Burke, Ann DeFabio Doyle, Kristie Latulippe, Anne Smith, and Amy Wong, who made the conference and the book possible.

This book, like the conference, was made possible by the generous support of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

Strobe Talbott
President
Brookings Institution

Washington, D.C.
May 2009