A point of tension between rich and developing countries, the “green protectionism” agenda was left out of the official COP30 agenda.
Countries from the so-called Global South question European Union measures, such as the carbon border adjustment mechanism, which imposes a price on emissions associated with imported products, and the regulation on deforestation-free products, which prohibits the entry of commodities linked to forest devastation after 2020.
These tools, scheduled to come into force in 2026, are seen as disguised as environmental policies.
In the agricultural sector, the concern is that the new rules will create restrictions on producers subject to national legislation. The industry warns that the European Union disregards environmental advantages that countries like Brazil can offer.
The advancement of green policies in Europe, but also the pressure for sustainability standards in the economy, promise to make international trade one of the most sensitive, but also inevitable, topics throughout the conference.
A report from the American newspaper “The New York Times“, this Tuesday (11), points out that emerging countries are moving away from American and European influence in the energy transition and adopting renewable alternatives driven by China.
After saturating the domestic market with solar panels, wind turbines and batteries, Chinese companies began to export their products to developing countries with high energy demands.
With the absence of the American government at the conference, the governor of California, Gavin Newsom, from the Democratic Party, amid Chinese advances in the sector.
also praised China’s progress in the sector and demanded a stance from American automakers.
“[…] As an American, I respect and admire what China is doing on a large scale when it comes to supply chains and production. And the United States better wake up to this, our car manufacturers better wake up to this,” said the governor of California.
(With information from Pedro Teixeira, from CNN Brazilin Belém)
