The articles in this compilation were published online from November 2024 to December 2025 in Synergies, our online platform dedicated to promoting inclusive policy dialogue at the intersection of trade, environment, and sustainable development.

The compilation includes 34 articles authored by a broad diversity of leading experts from around the world, including from academia, business, civil society organizations, senior current and former government officials, and thought leaders from the climate and trade policy communities.

The experts contributing to the series were invited to address the following questions: 

• Where does progress on the global climate agenda most require enhanced trade cooperation?
• Where are the greatest opportunities and priorities for trade cooperation to make a difference?
• What kinds of options and concrete outcomes can be envisaged at the WTO and/or in other fora?
• What is required to make this happen?

In answering these questions, the authors were asked to explore how international trade cooperation can be enhanced to drive urgent action on the Paris climate goals in ways that support climate-resilient development and just transitions.

We see this compilation as one instalment in an ongoing effort with partners to build and sustain momentum on positive agendas for international cooperation on a range of critical issues at the nexus of trade, climate, and sustainable development. We hope that these efforts will help translate into action the vision of an international trading system that effectively addresses the climate crisis and advances climate-resilient development.

PURSUING COOPERATION ON TRADE, CLIMATE, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Towards a Global Cooperation Agenda on Trade, Climate, and Sustainable Development
Christophe Bellmann and Carolyn Deere Birkbeck

For a Just Transition, Trade Cooperation Should Focus on Areas of Highest Impact for Both Climate and Development
Amina Mohamed

Trade Cooperation Pathways on Climate Action, Resilience, and Justice
Arunabha Ghosh

COP30: An Integrated Vision for Climate Change and Trade
André Aranha Corrêa do Lago

Three Key Issues to Address at the Interface Between Climate and Trade
Ignacio Garcia Bercero

Opportunities for Trade Policy and Cooperation to Shift Course on Climate Change and Nature Loss
Daudi Sumba

MANAGING AND REDUCING CLIMATE-TRADE TENSIONS

Deconflicting the Trade-Climate Nexus: We Need to Think Beyond Business As Usual
Trevor Sutton

From Tension to Cooperation on Trade-Related Climate Measures: Six Principles to Bolster International Cooperation
International Legal Expert Group on Trade-Related Climate Measures and Policies

How Can We Enhance Cooperation on Trade Measures With Climate Objectives at the WTO and Beyond?
Christophe Bellmann, Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Yasmin Ismail, & Brian Kelly Nyaga

Regional Green Trade Bloc to Fight Both Climate Change and Protectionism
Ma Jun

BOLSTERING EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY ACCESS AND TRANSITIONS

Trade Barriers Are Slowing Clean Energy Deployment – Here’s How to Fix It
Valerie Picard

Ambitious Climate Action Urgently Needs International Cooperation Across Clean Energy Value Chains
Peter Wooders & Tom Moerenhout

Enabling the Clean Energy Transition Through Trade and Cooperation
Carlos A Kuriyama

Securing a Sustainable Future for All: Critical Minerals, Industrial Policies, and the Role of Trade and Investment Frameworks
Ieva Barsauskaite & Isabelle Ramdoo

Trading Africa’s Green Minerals at a Crossroads: A Call for Regional Coordination
Marit Kitaw & Yasmin Ismail

Improving Environmentally Sound Trade Through Economic Diplomacy: The Role of Standards
Greg Messenger

FOSTERING COOPERATION ON GREEN INDUSTRIAL POLICIES

Why the EU’s Clean Industrial Policy Cannot Work Without Real Partnerships
Sarah Jackson

Pathways to Inclusive Green Industrial Policy: Building Shared Opportunities Across Economies
Aaron Maltais & Timothy Suljada

Carbon Copies? Suspicious Patterns of Commercial and Industrial Policy Response by the Behemoths of World Trade
Simon Evenett & Fernando Martin

ACCELERATING DECARBONIZATION OF KEY INDUSTRIAL SECTORS

Trade is the World’s Untapped Climate Accelerator
Jorge Arbache

Can the International Maritime Organization Incentivize an Equitable Transition Away From Fossil Fuel Use?
Tristan Smith

Equity in Motion: Revenue Disbursement for a Just and Equitable Maritime Transition Under the IMO's Net-Zero Framework
Ludovic Laffineur & Sebastiano Gianino

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY AND CLIMATE GOALS IN AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SYSTEMS

Turning Tides: How the New Geopolitics is Undermining Global Sustainability Goals
Valeria Piñeiro, Joseph Glauber, & Juan Pablo Gianatiempo

Using Market Mechanisms to Make the Global Food System More Sustainable and Resilient
Jason Clay

Climate and Agriculture: Looking Beyond Agricultural Subsidy Reform
Anthony Cox

Enhancing Coherence Between Agricultural, Trade, and Health Policy Objectives in the Climate Crisis Context
Anne Marie Thow & Dori Patay

ADVANCING CLIMATE JUSTICE AND CLIMATE-RESILIENT DEVELOPMENT

Resilient by Design: Reimagining Trade for Climate Justice in Africa and Beyond
Saliem Fakir

Advancing a Trade and Sustainable Development Agenda for African, Caribbean, and Pacific States
Junior Lodge

Towards a Fairer Global Trade and Finance System for a Just and Inclusive Climate Transition
Shimukunku Manchishi

From “Greening Trade” to “Trading Green”: Can Developing Countries Turn EU Unilateral Measures Into an Advantage?
Alfonso Medinilla

SUPPORTING CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND JUST TRANSITIONS

Why Regional Initiatives Are Key to Addressing the Catastrophic Risks of Climate Change and Underdevelopment
Kennedy Mbeva

Adaption to Climate Change and the International Trading System: Addressing Losses in Productive Capacity
Jodie Keane, Bernardo Arce, & Laura Kelly

Inclusive Ecodesign Requirements for a Just Transition
Colette van der Ven & Cláudia Azevedo

Financing Sustainable Trade for Just Transitions to Climate-Resilient Economies
Vinaye Ancharaz & Riad Sultan

Dowload the full compilation!

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Recommended citation: Synergies. (2025). Addressing the climate crisis and supporting climate-resilient development: Where can the trading system contribute? Compilation of expert views. Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS).