From Stockholm+50 to Bretton Woods+80: Greening Trade Law for Global Climate Governance?

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Ruppel, Oliver C.^{a; *} | Dobers, Cleo^b

Affiliations: [a] Professor of Public and International Law at the Faculty of Law and Director of the Development and Rule of LawProgram at Stellenbosch University, South Africa; Director of theResearch Center for Climate Law at the University of Graz, Austria | [b] Research assistant at the international law firm Gleiss Lutz, Public Law, Stuttgart, Germany

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: E-mail: ruppel@sun.ac.za.

Abstract: Where do we stand, 50 years past the Stockholm Conference and almost 80 years past Bretton Woods? What is the role of international trade in the contemporary systems design that has emerged from these two historic events in the turn of times? Climate change is a global human and environmental challenge that calls for more coherent action to achieve shared climate goals in times of climate emergency. It is thus argued, that international trade must become more systemically integrated, greener and more sustainable for that matter. The focus lies on the World Trade Organization and its potentially bridge-building function between distinct legal and political fields, which have long been perceived irreconcilable, but which are by their very nature inherently connected.

Keywords: International trade law, climate law and governance, the human environment, WTO, UNFCCC

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-219028

Journal: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 145-160, 2022