The Commonwealth comprises a significant number of states that will be affected by the migratory consequences of climate change, including a number of small island states. On 14 May the Ramphal Commission on Migration and Development heard evidence from academics about the implications of migration for the Commonwealth, exploring the possibility that migration – or certain aspects of migration – might offer the organisation a unifying theme for the next Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Australia in 2011. As I argued to the Commission, it is important that the focus remains not on ‘climate refugees’ or ‘environmental displacement’ per se but rather on the broader issue of ’survival migration’.
Though our work and research on matters of global economic governance continues, our posting here does not. For up-to-date information on the latest GEG news and research, please check the main GEG website and Facebook page.
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Survival Migration: An Agenda for the Commonwealth
Comments OffMay 31, 2010 / climate change, migration -
February 15, 2010 / climate change
GEG guest blogger Ryan Hogarth reviews the outcomes of the Copenhagen Summit for climate change governance. While the substance may be thin, he argues that the shift in decision-making procedure is significant. This post was the winner of the GEG blog competition ‘Governing Climate Change After Copenhagen’.
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December 7, 2009 / climate change
The success or failure of Copenhagen will depend not only on the substance of the deal but on the spirit and message of the talks as well. Negotiators inside the Bella Center in Copenhagen will no doubt go down to the wire on commas and clauses. For the ordinary citizen, the legitimacy of any climate agreement will depend on answers to four questions.
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G8 lessons for a climate deal: Build trust
Comments OffJuly 13, 2009 / climate change, financial crisisCan 192 countries agree on a global deal to confront climate change when 17 economies cannot? For those watching the proceedings at the G8 summit in L’Aquila last week, this must be a nagging question in the lead up to the much-anticipated meeting on climate change in Copenhagen in December. The signs are mixed but [...]
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June 30, 2009 / climate change, financial crisis
Arunabha Ghosh writes in Indian business newspaper, The Financial Express, that developing countries face a triple challenge of increasing income growth, building energy infrastructure, and confronting climate change. In her speech to Parliament last week, President Patil declared that one of the top priorities for her government would be ‘energy security and environment protection’. The [...]
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Competing needs: clean coal is key
Comments OffJune 30, 2009 / climate change, financial crisisArunabha Ghosh writes in Indian business newspaper, Mint, that reconciling the competing concerns of poverty reduction in and lower emissions from developing countries depends upon a credible multilateral mechanism for technology transfer. Is it possible for India to make a significant contribution towards mitigating climate change without undermining its growth and poverty-reduction imperatives? Indian policymakers [...]
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April 2, 2009 / aid, climate change, financial crisis, G20, imf, trade, world bank, wto
The G20 leaders’ communiqué today has provided a vital boost for global trade, but several important trade-related commitments – to developing countries, to sustainable development and to multilateralism – were disappointing or missing. With a further G20 meeting scheduled before the end of the year, leaders must now deepen and expand their trade agenda to address these shortfalls. At the same time, they must acknowledge the democratic deficits of the G20 and explore more inclusive alternatives for global economic decision-making – in particular those that would ensure greater representation of the world’s poorest countries.
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A Forward-looking Agenda for Global Trade Governance and Sustainable Development from a Southern Perspective
1 CommentMarch 23, 2009 / climate change, financial crisis, G20, trade, wtoGuest blogger Yash Tandon sets out a forward-looking agenda for global trade governance and sustainable development from a Southern perspective.
The world’s multilateral negotiations on trade and on sustainable development over the last decade yield two important lessons for the multilateral system.
The first lesson concerns the interconnectedness of things: trade, security, employment, human rights, development, terrorism, migration, poverty, climate change are all interconnected. For the developing countries of the South, trade and climate change are a dual facet of their continuing sustainable development challenges.
Tags: developing countries, G20, sustainable development, trade
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March 20, 2009 / climate change, G20, trade, wto
President Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emmanuel, is famous for saying that we should “never let a good crisis go to waste”. And let’s make no mistake about it, we are in crisis. While the world’s attention is largely focused on the financial meltdown, with a side order of climate change, we may soon need to face up to the fact that we are living what Australian environmental business expert Paul Gilding calls “The Great Disruption” – the confluence of a major economic breakdown and the unraveling of the global environment. And, while our leaders are busily wheeling out stimulus packages in a desperate attempt to kick-start the faltering economy, the same is not possible for the global environment. In the words of Glen Prickett of Conservation International: “Mother Nature doesn’t do bailouts”.
Tags: climate, environment, sustainable development, trade, wto
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March 17, 2009 / aid, climate change, financial crisis, G20, imf, trade, world bank, wto
When the latest efforts to close the Doha Round ended abruptly in December 2008, entrenched negotiating positions were a factor; but underlying systemic issues, ignored in many accounts of the stop-and-start history of the Round since 2001, were of greater significance: these include countries trading more but earning less; the dangers of premature deindustrialization; a growing technological divide and diminishing policy space. While addressing these systematic challenges will be key to the future stability of the multilateral trading system, the immediate threat to international trade comes from a deeply dysfunctional system of unregulated finance. Fixing that should be the urgent priority of the international community.
Tags: developing countries, G-20, governance, trade
