The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO

This note is based on presentations and discussion at a seminar on The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO, jointly organized by the Royal Institute of International Affairs (RIIA) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) during the third WTO Ministerial Conference in Seattle.

The meeting aimed to explore the potential conflicts between climate change mitigation under the Kyoto Protocol and the system of trade rules under the WTO, and how best to avoid them. This note summarizes the main strands of the presentations and discussion at the meeting. The topics discussed here are explored in depth in RIIA's recently released book on trade and climate change.