Convened by the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS)

Climate Change and World Trade:  Friends or Foes?

Thursday, 3 July 2008, 4:00 to 5:30 pm
United Nations University, Elizabeth Rose Hall
53-70 Jingumae 5-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Watch the event on the UNU Video Portal webcast

Speaker:	David Runnalls, President of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD) and Member of the Board of UNU-IAS
Programme:	4:00 – 4:10  Opening Remarks by Professor Zakri, Director of the UNU-IAS 4:10 – 5:00  Presentation by David Runnalls 5:00 – 5:30  Q & A and Discussion
Language:	English (with simultaneous Japanese translation)
Webcast:	Watch the UNU Video Portal Webcaste here
Announcement:	Download the announcement here.

In December 2007, the "Informal Trade Ministers Dialogue on Climate Change Issues" at the UN climate change negotiations in Bali was the first meeting of its kind to bring together trade ministers to discuss how the objectives of global trade can be better aligned with those of the environment and climate change in particular. Based on David Runnalls’ estimate, meeting the climate challenge will require a multi-trillion dollar revamp of the world’s energy infrastructure (US$20 trillion for Asia alone over next several decades). Because of the importance of energy for the global economy, reduced emissions will have profound impacts. The upshot: climate change is not just an issue for environment ministers anymore. According to Mr. Runnalls, “the world’s environment and its economy are so closely linked that policies that ignore the other are bound for failure… We need to integrate environment into economic decision making at all levels of government and in the private sector.” He has characterized the Kyoto Protocol as “principally an investment agreement” and argues that trade should be viewed as a means to combat climate change rather than focus on the potential for conflict between environment and trade. This can be done by looking at how trade policy can best supply climate friendly goods and services, and by proactively addressing competitiveness concerns such as uneven carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidies.

David Runnalls is President of the International Institute of Sustainable Development (IISD). He served as Senior Advisor to the President of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and to the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He was Director of the Environment and Sustainable Development Programme at the Institute for Research on Public Policy. Runnalls was the Canadian Board member of the IUCN-the World Conservation Union for six years and the Chair of the Committee for the World Conservation Congress in 1996. He has served as Co-Chair of the China Council Task Force on WTO and Environment. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the Institute of Advanced Studies of the United Nations University and a member of the Board of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. He is also a member of the CSR Advisory Council for Export Development Canada; a member of the Council for Sustainable Development Technology Canada; and a member of the Ivey Business School Leadership Council.


Please RSVP to reception@ias.unu.edu or online at www.ias.unu.edu/G8 by 2 July 2008.

For further information please contact Rachel Schutte at Schutte@ias.unu.edu or Yui Amano at amano@ias.unu.edu; or see www.ias.unu.edu/G8.

	Download the .pdf announcement here
	Watch event on UNU Video Portal webcast