Climate change and trade: challenges and lingering questions on the relationship between renewable energy subsidies and WTO disciplines

Abstract

The worsening of global warming has prompted an ever-increasing number of States to enact climate change mitigation policies. These often include renewable energy subsidies and local content requirements. Yet, these policies do not always sit comfortably with WTO disciplines. This paper investigates how the WTO case law and legal scholarship have dealt with this issue. Bearing this in mind, it seeks to contribute to this debate by putting forward a solution to reconcile renewable energy subsidies and WTO obligations.