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Europe's 'carbon border tax' could hurt climate negotiations -China adviser
(Reuters News, 4 Dec 2019) The EU's senior climate official said in October the newly installed European Commision would push for a tax to account for carbon emissions of foreign firms.
The European Union's proposed "carbon border tax" on imports could introduce uncertain and harmful factors to otherwise friendly cooperation in climate talks, an adviser to China's negotiating team at a United Nations conference said on Wednesday.
The EU's senior climate official said in October the newly installed European Commision would push for a tax to account for carbon emissions of foreign firms. Such a tax would likely raise the price of Chinese products in Europe.
That could trip up talks underway in Madrid to settle the final items of the Paris Agreement before it enters an implementation phase next year, when countries are set to unveil more ambitious targets for cutting greenhouse gases.
The tax would run counter to the Paris accord which is founded on multilateralism and countries' voluntary participating, said He Jiankun, a professor at Tsinghua University who is traveling with China's official delegation.
"If this carbon tax is unilaterally instituted, it could bring uncertain and some harmful factors to the process," He told reporters, stressing it was his personal opinion.
"Currently adopting this type of cross-border measure could influence the friendly atmosphere of cooperation in the process of confronting climate change."
Reuters News, 4 Dec 2019: Europe's 'carbon border tax' could hurt climate negotiations -China adviser
