Green Subsidies and the WTO

This paper provides a detailed explanation how the law of the World Trade Organization regulates environmental subsidies with a focus on renewable energy subsidies. The paper begins by discussing the economic justifications for such subsidies and t...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author:	Charnovitz, Steve
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank Group, Washington, DC 2014
Subjects:	ABATEMENT ADVERSE EFFECTS AGREEMENT ON AGRICULTURE AGREEMENT ON SUBSIDIES AGREEMENT ON TRADE-RELATED ASPECTS AGRICULTURAL SUBSIDIES AGRICULTURE APPELLATE BODY APPELLATE BODY REPORT BANK LENDING BENCHMARK BUDGET CONSTRAINTS CAPITAL MARKET CARBON CARBON EMISSIONS CARBON TAX CASE LAW CLIMATE CHANGE COAL COMMODITY COMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE COMPETITIVENESS COMPLEX TASK CONFLICT OF LAW CONSUMERS COST SAVINGS COUNTERVAILING DUTIES COUNTERVAILING MEASURES COUNTRY MARKET CURRENCY DEBT DEVELOPED COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRIES DEVELOPING COUNTRY DEVELOPMENT POLICY DIMINISHING RETURNS DIRECT TRANSFER DISADVANTAGED REGIONS DISGUISED RESTRICTION DISPUTE SETTLEMENT DISPUTE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM DOMESTIC INDUSTRIES DOMESTIC MARKET DUMPING ECONOMIC EFFECTS ECONOMIC GROWTH ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS ECONOMIC JUSTIFICATION ECONOMIC LAW ECONOMIC WELFARE ECONOMICS ECONOMISTS EMISSIONS ENERGY CONSUMPTION ENERGY EFFICIENCY ENERGY SUBSIDIES ENVIRONMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS ENVIRONMENTAL EXTERNALITIES ENVIRONMENTAL GOODS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCES ENVIRONMENTAL SUBSIDIES ENVIRONMENTAL SUBSIDY ENVIRONMENTAL TREATIES ENVIRONMENTS EQUITY CAPITAL EXPENDITURES EXPORT CREDIT EXPORT CREDITS EXPORT MARKETS EXPORT SUBSIDY EXPORTS EXTERNALITIES FINANCIAL BENEFIT FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION FINANCIAL INSTITUTION FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FINANCIAL RESOURCES FISCAL POLICIES FOREIGN COMPANIES FOREIGN COUNTRIES FOREIGN EXPORT SUBSIDIES FOREIGN GOVERNMENT FOREIGN INVESTMENT FOSSIL FUELS FREE RIDERS GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TRADE IN SERVICES GLOBAL ECONOMY GLOBAL WELFARE GOVERNMENT GRANTS GOVERNMENT GUARANTEE GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION GOVERNMENT OWNERSHIP GOVERNMENT REGULATION GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY GREEN INVESTMENTS GROWTH THEORY INCOME INCOMES INCREASING RETURNS INFORMATION ASYMMETRIES INTANGIBLES INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS INTEREST RATES INTERMEDIATE INPUTS INTERNALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL COSTS INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES INTERNATIONAL BANK INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS INTERNATIONAL LAW INTERNATIONAL MARKETS INTERNATIONAL TRADE INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW INVESTMENT DECISION JOB CREATION JURISDICTION LEGAL CONSTRAINTS MANAGED TRADE MARGINAL BENEFITS MARGINAL COSTS MARKET ACCESS MARKET CONDITIONS MARKET DISTORTIONS MARKET EXPECTATIONS MARKET FAILURE MARKET FAILURES MARKET PRICES MARKET SHARE MATERIAL INJURY NATIONAL AUTHORITIES NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES NEGATIVE EXTERNALITY NON-ACTIONABLE SUBSIDIES NON-TARIFF BARRIERS OUTPUT OVERHEAD COSTS PANEL REPORT PATENTS POLICY MAKERS POLICY RESEARCH POLITICAL ECONOMY POLLUTER POLLUTERS POLLUTION POLLUTION CONTROL PORTFOLIO POSITIVE EXTERNALITIES POSITIVE EXTERNALITY PRIVATE INVESTMENTS PRIVATE INVESTORS PRIVATIZATION PRIVATIZATIONS PRODUCERS PRODUCTION PROCESS PRODUCTION PROCESSES PROPERTY RIGHTS PUBLIC GOOD PUBLIC GOODS PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS RATE OF RETURN REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS REMEDIES RENEWABLE ENERGIES RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE MANAGEMENT SECURITY EXCEPTIONS SETTLEMENT SYSTEM SOCIAL COSTS SUBSIDIZATION SUBSIDIZED IMPORTS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TARIFF BARRIERS TAX TAX ADVANTAGES TAX BENEFITS TAX CREDIT TAX CREDITS TAX SUBSIDY TAX TREATMENT TAXATION TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER TRADE BARRIERS TRADE DISPUTES TRADE POLICY TRADE RESTRICTIONS TRADE RULES TRADING SYSTEM TRANSFER OF FUNDS TRANSPARENCY UNFAIR COMPETITION UNJUSTIFIABLE DISCRIMINATION URUGUAY ROUND VENTURE CAPITAL VENTURE CAPITALIST WORLD ECONOMY WORLD MARKET WORLD TRADE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION WORLD TRADING SYSTEM WTO
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2014/10/20290817/green-subsidies-wto http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20500

Description
Summary:	This paper provides a detailed explanation how the law of the World Trade Organization regulates environmental subsidies with a focus on renewable energy subsidies. The paper begins by discussing the economic justifications for such subsidies and the criticisms of them and then gives examples of categories of subsidies. The paper provides an overview of the relevant World Trade Organization rules and case law, including the recent Canada-Renewable Energy case. The paper also makes specific recommendations for how World Trade Organization law can be improved and discusses the literature on reform proposals. The study finds that because of a lack of clarity in World Trade Organizaion rules, for some clean energy subsidies, a government will not know in advance whether the subsidy is World Trade Organization-legal.

Green Subsidies and the WTO

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