Trade agreement trumps climate accord: WTO rules against India solar program

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today in a lawsuit brought by the United States, a World Trade Organization tribunal ruled that India’s national solar energy program violates international trade law because it provides incentives for creation of local green jobs. Many U.S. states have similar programs.

Bill Waren, senior trade analyst at Friends of the Earth had this statement:

Friends of the Earth is dismayed that climate policy is being made by an international trade tribunal. The government of India reasonably provided some preferences for local producers of solar energy in order to convert from a carbon economy to a green economy. The WTO decision, finding India’s solar energy program a violation of international trade law, is an outrage. Trade law trumps the Paris climate accord.

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Expert contact: Bill Waren, (202) 222-0746, [email protected]
Communications contact: Kate Colwell, (703) 622-9093, [email protected]