Frantic negotiations between heads of state and other high-ranking officials in the closing hours of the December climate summit managed to produce just a short, aspirational document, which left many sceptical about the chances of reaching a binding agreement next year.
Two events of importance to sustainable development advocates took place at the close of the year 2009: the long-delayed WTO ministerial conference and the Copenhagen climate summit. How the world responds to climate change has significant implications for international trade. The Copenhagen Accord does not even mention two of the most contentious issues at stake here, i.e.
From time immemorial, like most peoples of the ancient world, Indians have referred to products by the names of their places of origin. They have always known that goods from certain regions have distinct qualities and characteristics, but formal protection for such products is relatively recent.
An August negotiating session on the United Nations Framework Climate Change Convention in Bonn ignited some interesting, albeit expected, sparks around the subject of intellectual property rights.
The G-8 is investing in it, UN agencies are holding international symposia on it and civil society is struggling with it. Food insecurity is on everyone
As negotiations accelerate in the lead-up to the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, trade-related issues have emerged as key elements of the discussions.
Participants at a scientific conference held in Copenhagen in March were shocked to hear new, much higher estimates for likely sea-level rise and rainforest loss that could lead to trees emitting more carbon than they store.
China has suggested that carbon emissions incurred during the manufacture of exported goods should the shouldered by the country where they are consumed.
