The Harvard Project on Climate Agreements conducted a research workshop in Shanghai, China on December 16 – 17, 2024 titled “Climate Change and Trade Policy: Reducing Emissions and Advancing Mutual Prosperity.” The workshop was conducted with the support of — and in collaboration with — Energy Foundation China; it was co-sponsored by the Center for International Knowledge on Development (CIKD), a research institute affiliated with the Development Research Center of China’s State Council. The workshop was held at Harvard Center Shanghai.
The first day of the workshop included presentations by and discussion among researchers based in universities and research institutes in China, Europe, and the United States. The second day included representatives from industry in China. U.S. and European participants were: Michael Davidson, University of California, San Diego; David Kleimann, ODI Europe; Michael Mehling, University of Strathclyde and Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Robert Stavins, Harvard University (Director of the Harvard Project); and Catherine Wolfram, Sloan School of Management, MIT.
Topics included: balancing comparative advantage with economic and strategic priorities; threading the needle between protectionism and decarbonization; and leveraging cooperation at the intersection of climate and trade.
Michael Mehling wrote a discussion brief that was distributed to participants in advance, as background, titled “Climate change and trade policy: an overview of current issues.” The brief is available here.