Professor Rafael Leal-Arcas, Jean Monnet Chair holder in EU International Economic Law at Queen Mary University of London, presented his current research titled “Exploring the links between international trade law and climate change.” His presentation took place at the University of Windsor, Faculty of Law, Windsor, Canada, on 24 February 2020.
The findings of his research will be published as R. Leal-Arcas, “Climate Clubs and International Trade across the European and International Landscape,” European Energy and Environmental Law Review, June 2020.
This article provides a comprehensive examination of the greatest threat humanity faces today: climate change. It does so by looking at the legal, political, institutional, regulatory, and economic angles of climate change from the perspective of major emitters and the most relevant actors in the mitigation of climate change. The article offers a fresh understanding of the international trading system as a way to reach a prosperous, modern, and sustainable society that will help decarbonize the economy effectively. The article offers new ideas on the creation of a climate club linked to the international trade regime as an effective way to mitigate climate change. How should policies, regulations, laws, and agreements change to get us there? What incentives will be necessary to get there effectively? What has failed and why? We conclude that innovation and technology will be among the key elements of this equation, without which we will miss the goal.