The series was designed and curated by TESS to provide an overview of current and anticipated transformations in production and trade in key sectors on the road to net zero in the context of the unfolding climate crisis and the international community’s climate action agenda. Specifically, the series discusses potential scenarios for these sectors and implications for developing countries and climate-resilient development.

A wider objective of the series is to contribute to a better understanding of emerging trade and trade-related policy trends and dynamics and their implications within the various sectors, with a focus on supporting developing countries in identifying and advancing their interests and priorities in international discussions on climate, trade, and sustainable development.

The sectors covered in the series are agriculture, carbon markets, critical minerals, digital transformation, energy transition, fisheries, heavy industries, shipping, and textiles and garments. Each contribution has been authored by experts in these respective fields.

The briefing notes all loosely follow a similar structure. After a general introduction on the interlinkages between trade, climate change, and sustainable development in a particular sector, the papers explore climate action and impact scenarios in the sector on the road to net zero and then the evolving trade and trade-related trends, policies, and dynamics that will influence the sector in response to the climate crisis. This is followed by an analysis of the trade-related opportunities and challenges for developing countries in the sector in the transition to net zero. The papers conclude with a set of sectoral options or priorities for international cooperation and policy engagement in support of climate-resilient development.

With this compilation, we aim to strengthen the global response to climate change by ensuring that developing countries can successfully navigate the transition to a sustainable, low-carbon, and climate-resilient future, and that international cooperation around trade and trade-related policies, guided by the priorities and needs of developing countries, contributes to this response.