UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) urged governments on Nov. 9 to reduce trade obstacles affecting climate technology, saying closer cooperation could make it more affordable for economies working to cut emissions and adapt to warming.
In its November Global Trade Update, UNCTAD identified 179 climate-related provisions in eight trade agreements signed from 2023 to 2025 that reference the Paris Agreement. Tariff and non-tariff barriers featured in 7% of those provisions. The figure covers provisions across the agreements and does not identify barriers tied to a specific product.
Climate language also became more common over time. UNCTAD found that climate provisions appeared in more than half of trade agreements signed during 2016–2021; they featured in 18% of agreements concluded during 1990–2015. UNCTAD's figures show that the broader use of climate language has translated into limited action on trade barriers in the eight recent agreements it examined.
UNCTAD separately put 2025 exports across solar and wind energy value chains above $1.8 trillion. The agency said international supply chains affect the cost and availability of climate technologies, giving trade policy a role in access to them.
UNCTAD urged governments to implement existing commitments, coordinate standards and build skills and production capacity in developing economies' climate industries. It said easing trade barriers could make the technologies more affordable, especially for vulnerable developing economies.
An estimate cited in the report puts worldwide economic losses at 10% of gross domestic product (GDP) with warming of 3 degrees Celsius. For poorer countries closer to the equator, the estimate reaches 17% of GDP, indicating that economic risks are unevenly distributed.
UNCTAD said sustainable industries could help developing economies add export lines, create jobs, retain more value locally and meet environmental and inclusion goals. The update was released as COP31 began on Nov. 9.
