The international economics of resources and resource ... - Index of

Int Econ Econ Policy (2010) 7:203–225
DOI 10.1007/s10368-010-0166-8
ORIGINAL PAPER
The U.S. proposed carbon tariffs, WTO scrutiny
and China’s responses
ZhongXiang Zhang
Published online: 28 May 2010
# Springer-Verlag 2010
Abstract With governments from around the world trying to hammer out a post-
2012 climate change agreement, no one would disagree that a U.S. commitment to
cut greenhouse gas emissions is essential to such a global pact. However, despite
U.S. president Obama’s announcement to push for a commitment to cut U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2020, in reality it is questionable whether U.S.
This paper is built on the keynote address on Encouraging Developing Country Involvement in a Post-
2012 Climate Change Regime: Carrots, Sticks or Both? at the Conference on Designing International
Climate Change Mitigation Policies through RD&D Strategic Cooperation, Catholic University Leuven,
Belgium, 12 October 2009; the invited presentation on Multilateral Trade Measures in a Post-2012
Climate Change Regime?: What Can Be Taken from the Montreal Protocol and the WTO? both at the
International Workshop on Post-2012 Climate and Trade Policies, the United Nations Environment
Programme, Geneva, 8–9 September 2008 and at Shanghai Forum 2009: Crisis, Cooperation and
Development, Shanghai, 11–12 May 2009; the invited presentation on Climate Change Meets Trade in
Promoting Green Growth: Potential Conflicts and Synergies at the East-West Center/Korea Development
Institute International Conference on Climate Change and Green Growth: Korea’s National Growth
Strategy, Honolulu, Hawaii, 23–24 July 2009; the invited presentation on NAMAs, Unilateral Actions,
Registry, Carbon Credits, MRV and Long-term Low-carbon Strategy at International Workshop on
Envisaging a New Climate Change Agreement in Copenhagen, Seoul, 13 November 2009; and the invited
panel discussion on Green Growth, Climate Change and WTO at the Korea International Trade
Association/Peterson Institute for International Economics International Conference on the New Global
Trading System in the Post-Crisis Era, Seoul, 7 December 2009. It has benefited from useful discussions
with the participants in these meetings. That said, the views expressed here are those of the author. The
author bears sole responsibility for any errors and omissions that may remain.
Z. Zhang
Research Program, East-West Center, 1601 East-West Road, Honolulu, HI 96848-1601, USA
Z. Zhang
Center for Energy Economics and Strategy Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Z. Zhang
Institute of Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Z. Zhang
China Centre for Urban and Regional Development Research, Peking University, Beijing, China
Z. Zhang (*)
Center for Environment and Development, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Beijing, China
e-mail: ZhangZ@EastWestCenter.org