Dear Colleague, Today, we are delighted to announce the launch of our Center for Climate and Trade, a new initiative of the Climate Leadership Council. Since the Climate Leadership Council released our “America’s Carbon Advantage” report in 2020, the appetite for research and policy development at the intersection of climate and trade has only grown. Major economies are seeking ways to harmonize climate and trade rules. Environmental leaders are pushing for greater international cooperation. Businesses are examining the impacts of their complex global supply chains. And policymakers are hungry for tools to reward efficient manufacturers and encourage faster global decarbonization. The Center for Climate and Trade aims to meet this demand by exploring and advancing policies that leverage trade relationships and the global market economy towards greater international cooperation and climate ambition. In doing so, it will work with businesses, environmental leaders, labor interests, and others eager to delve into the benefits and opportunities at the climate-trade policy nexus. The Center will also draw upon the best policy minds. President Clinton’s U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky; James Connaughton, who served as President George W. Bush’s top environmental advisor; and Jennifer Hillman, former commissioner at the U.S. International Trade Commission and member of the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body, will serve as co-chairs. We hope you share our enthusiasm about this timely endeavor. We invite you to learn more about the Center’s mission and activities by reading our press release below and visiting us here. All the best, Greg Bertelsen, CEO, The Climate Leadership Council FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 15, 2021 CONTACT: Carlton Carroll [email protected] 202-919-4919 New Center for Climate and Trade will Advance Global Climate Policy Solutions Charlene Barshefsky, James Connaughton, and Jennifer Hillman will serve as co-chairs WASHINGTON, DC – The Climate Leadership Council announced a new Center for Climate and Trade to advance global policy solutions that leverage trade relationships and the market economy towards greater international cooperation and climate progress, including border carbon adjustments. “To support a global response to climate change, we must explore policies that target the 25% of global emissions embedded in internationally traded goods,” said Greg Bertelsen, CEO of the Climate Leadership Council. “The upside in the climate and trade policy arena for the U.S. economy, our workers and environment are immense. The Center for Climate and Trade will explore and advance policies that leverage domestic emissions reductions to reward lower-emitting production, enhance U.S. competitiveness, promote international cooperation and encourage other large emitting nations to do their part.” Lawmakers in major economies like the E.U., Canada, Japan, U.K., and U.S. are exploring climate and trade policy tools that support domestic climate ambition, reward more carbon-efficient manufacturing, and encourage greater emission reductions from their trading partners. This new arena presents numerous potential environmental, economic, and geopolitical benefits. Unlocking them requires new research, better data, and collaborative thought leadership from a variety of disciplines. The Center will convene leading experts from government, academia, industry, and other fields to explore the benefits and opportunities at the climate-trade nexus. Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky, former U.S. trade representative for President Clinton; James Connaughton, former chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality for President George W. Bush; and Jennifer Hillman, former commissioner at the United States International Trade Commission and former member of the World Trade Organization Appellate Body, will lead the Center as bipartisan co-chairs. Catrina Rorke, senior vice president at the Climate Leadership Council, will serve as executive director of the Center. George David Banks, a top policy advisor to Presidents Trump and George W. Bush, and in Congress, the intelligence community, and the foreign service, will serve as chief policy advisor, facilitating the Center’s collaboration and research with outside advisors and policy contributors. Maureen Hinman, co-founder and chair of Silverado Policy Accelerator; Sarah Stewart, executive director of Silverado Policy Accelerator; Nigel Purvis, CEO of Climate Advisers; and Michael Mehling, deputy director of the MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, will serve as policy advisors, providing recommendations on key policy areas and conducting original research and analysis for the Center. “If we are going to adequately respond to the threat of climate change, we need to create new trade policies and agreements that encourage ever lower emissions in globally-traded goods,” Ambassador Barshefsky said. “We look forward to exploring and advancing climate and trade policies that motivate greater climate ambition, international cooperation, and technological innovation.” "Confronting climate change and the scourge of unhealthy air pollution is a moral imperative not only for the U.S., but for all nations,” said James Connaughton. “An unaccountable international process is not producing sensible, affordable, and lasting solutions. The United States is uniquely positioned to harness the world's most powerful innovation and export engine and partner with truly committed allies to drive verifiable emissions reductions through free and fair trade in clean and sustainable technologies and services.” “Trade tools can be a powerful weapon to combat global greenhouse gas emissions,” Jennifer Hillman said. “The Center for Climate and Trade will provide a platform to identify solutions that put American companies on a level playing field with their overseas competitors and ensure that the tools of international trade enable more ambitious climate action.” To learn more, visit the Center’s website here. The Climate Leadership Council works with a broad set of stakeholders to promote the most cost-effective, equitable and politically viable climate solutions. 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