OTTAWA -- Despite impressive improvements in fuel and engine efficiency over the years, truck-generated emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) are still an important area for policy attention, according to a Conference Board of Canada report.

Waterloo, Ontario – January 14, 2010 – Geo-political expert and award-winning journalist Cleo Paskal will give a talk at The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) on January 14, as part of CIGI’s ongoing Signature Lecture Series.

As the world prepares to “seal the deal” at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December this year, climate change is front page news. While the focus is on emission ceilings, carbon trading, geo-engineering, increased financial and lower greenhouse gas emission commitments from industrialized countries, and other complex issues, innovative and radical ideas that are more focused and more appropriate to local situations are also needed, particularly for the Global South.

Two vitally important policy areas – trade and climate change - are intersecting, posing difficult questions about how to provide effective action on climate change without damage to the international trading system. On October 26-27, 2009, experts from both fields discussed the risks and possibilities for dealing with them. The participants focussed on a few key issues. The great difficulty of dealing with border carbon adjustments came in for a good deal of emphasis - but while there was a shared view that it would be best to avoid them entirely it was recognized that unfortunately they are likely to be part of the mix. On the other hand, it was felt that the prospects of accommodating “green” subsidies in the trading system are more promising, and with respect to subsidies and special fiscal arrangements a strong case was made for cutting back the very large amounts that support the production and consumption of fossil fuels.