Resources

April 25, 2024

An Approach to Interoperability of U.S. and EU Systems for Determining GHG Emissions Intensity of Steel

In October 2021, the U.S. and EU announced their intent to negotiate a “Global Arrangement on Sustainable Steel and Aluminum” that would restrict market... Read More

Report

April 3, 2024

The Relative CBAM Cost Burden

Starting in 2026, the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will begin charging importers for the emissions associated with the manufacturing of certain products.... Read More

Blog Article

April 3, 2024

Projecting CBAM Impacts

Import fees based on emissions intensity are just around the corner. The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is in effect and on January... Read More

Blog Article

February 14, 2024

When Climate Action is Justified, Carbon Import Fees Are Warranted

Momentum continues to build worldwide for the use of carbon import fees, policies that charge importers for the emissions embedded in traded goods. The... Read More

Blog Article

February 1, 2024

The PROVE IT Act is a Win for U.S. Industry and the Environment

On January 18, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works advanced the bipartisan "Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity and Transparency... Read More

Blog Article

January 30, 2024

The PROVE IT Act Explained

The Providing Reliable, Objective, Verifiable Emissions Intensity Act, or PROVE IT Act, directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to study and report the average... Read More

Blog Article

January 10, 2024

Carbon Import Fees: Active and Proposed Policies

This blog post will be updated as more details emerge. Climate and trade policies are gaining momentum across the world, partly due to an... Read More

Blog Article

December 19, 2023

Key Takeaways from COP28

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as COP28, concluded last week in Dubai. Over the course of 13 days, the conference brought... Read More

Blog Article

December 13, 2023

The Global Arrangement for Sustainable Steel and Aluminum & New Opportunities for Climate Cooperation

The industrial sector generates more than 25% of global CO2 emissions. No climate solution can be effective without identifying and mobilizing decarbonization pathways for... Read More

Report

December 7, 2023

ITC Oral Hearing Statement, Greenhouse Gas Emissions Intensities of the U.S. Steel and Aluminum Industries at the Product Level, Investigation No. 332–598

The Council's Vice President, Policy and Research Matt Porterfield delivered an oral statement on behalf of the Council at the United States International Trade... Read More

Report

December 6, 2023

The Clean Competition Act: No (WTO) Exceptions Necessary?

There are rules, and then there are exceptions to the rules. The World Trade Organization (WTO) has both, as illustrated by the recent trade... Read More

Blog Article

November 15, 2023

In Brief: Carbon Import Fees and the WTO

In September, we released the report Carbon Import Fees and the WTO, a first-of-its-kind legal analysis of how different climate and trade policy proposals... Read More

Blog Article

November 2, 2023

Climate Policy, WTO Rules, and the Fork in the Road

As Yogi Berra observed, predictions are hard to make, particularly about the future. But that hasn’t stopped critics of Senator Bill Cassidy’s recently introduced... Read More

Blog Article

November 2, 2023

International Climate Policy: Collaboration, Competition, or Both?

On November 2, 2023, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) introduced his Foreign Pollution Fee Act with support from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). This long-awaited proposal... Read More

Blog Article

October 10, 2023

Potential CBAM Impacts on U.S. Industry

The EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the world’s first carbon import fee on internationally traded goods, entered its inaugural phase on October 1,... Read More

Blog Article

The Washington Times | September 26, 2023

Pass the PROVE IT Act to show America’s excellence outperforms foreign competition

American manufacturers are among the best in the world, but competition from cheap goods from overseas is undercutting our workers and shuttering our factories.... Read More

News

September 21, 2023

Assessing the EU CBAM: Reporting Rules for the World’s First Carbon Import Fee

In August, the EU unveiled its implementing regulation for the initial stage of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), effective from October 1, 2023,... Read More

Report

Inside U.S. Trade | September 20, 2023

Analysts: Carbon border fees can be compatible with WTO rules

While World Trade Organization rules do not provide explicitly for carbon-related border fee arrangements such as a carbon border adjustment mechanism, various provisions in... Read More

News

September 19, 2023

Carbon Import Fees and the WTO

The speed of climate and trade policy development is intensifying as carbon import fees gain supporters. Many have asked if these new policies would... Read More

Report

E&E News | September 8, 2023

Lawmakers eye committee action on carbon tariff bill

Democrats and Republicans in both chambers of Congress are coalescing around a bill that would build the case for tariffs on carbon-intensive imports. But... Read More

News

The Office of Senator Kevin Cramer | September 7, 2023

Sens. Cramer, Coons Participate in Panel Discussion, Highlight PROVE IT Act

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Environment Public Works (EPW) Committee, and Chris Coons (D-DE), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined the Climate... Read More

News

Axios Pro | September 7, 2023

PROVE IT Companionship

Democrat Scott Peters and Republican John Curtis plan to introduce a House version of the PROVE IT Act, the bipartisan carbon data bill making... Read More

News

E&E News | September 7, 2023

Popular Senate carbon tariff bill gains House champions

As interest grows in a Senate proposal to calculate the emissions intensity of industrial materials produced in the U.S., two lawmakers are getting ready... Read More

News

August 23, 2023

CBAM Emissions Accounting – Thorough Guidance with Too Much Flexibility

The EU has finalized rules to govern the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) transition phase, which imposes a reporting requirement on importers of select... Read More

Blog Article

August 18, 2023

Will the International Interest in Carbon Import Fees Lead to a Carbon Club?

Carbon import fees—a price imposed on imported goods based on their carbon intensity, largely targeting energy-intensive and trade-exposed products—are gaining traction as an important... Read More

Blog Article

August 2, 2023

Economic Protectionism v. Environmental Protection

Interest in climate and trade policy is growing as the EU prepares to implement its CBAM and multiple U.S. senators explore their own ideas... Read More

Blog Article

July 20, 2023

Principles for Well-Designed Carbon Intensity Import Fees in the United States

Trade is a mass disseminator of resources, technology, and best practices. And yet, it is the most underdeveloped tool in the climate playbook. Increasingly,... Read More

Blog Article

July 20, 2023

Principles for Well-Designed Carbon Intensity Import Fees in the United States

Trade, which is responsible for a quarter of global carbon emissions, presents a promising opportunity for aligning global market incentives with international climate goals.... Read More

Report

July 3, 2023

T-3 Months Until CBAM Launch: Rules Released for the Transition Phase

In May of 2022, the European Parliament officially approved its Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) to charge carbon-intensive imports for their emissions. Before it... Read More

Blog Article

RepublicEn | June 20, 2023

EcoRight Speaks, season six, episode nineteen: Greg Bertelsen

You have heard us talk here on the podcast about possible legislation involving a carbon border adjust mechanism (CBAM). A carbon border adjustment mechanism applies a... Read More

News

June 20, 2023

Articulating the U.S. Carbon Advantage

Climate Leadership Council research has demonstrated that American manufacturers across industries are highly carbon efficient compared to overseas competitors. This “carbon advantage” was initially... Read More

Blog Article

Axios Pro | June 8, 2023

Senators introduce carbon border data bill

Chris Coons and Kevin Cramer have unveiled the CBAM data bill we told you about Tuesday. ... Of note: The bill has a sizable group... Read More

News

E&E News | June 8, 2023

Bipartisan bill would lay groundwork for U.S. carbon tariffs

Senators from both parties have signed on to legislation that would calculate the emissions intensity of industrial materials produced in the United States. It’s... Read More

News

The Concord Coalition | May 24, 2023

Facing the Future: Border Carbon Adjustments Gain Bipartisan Attention In Congress

This week on Facing the Future, a welcome respite from talk of the debt ceiling crisis to focus on an interesting legislative concept getting considerable... Read More

News

NPR | May 17, 2023

How a European law might get companies around the world to cut climate pollution

The European Union is ushering in a new era of international trade that could help rein in climate change. Lawmakers for the group of... Read More

News

May 17, 2023

Counting Carbon: Voluntary and Mandatory Emissions Reporting Programs

Governments around the world are developing policies to address the “carbon loophole” by differentiating between internationally traded products based on their carbon intensity. While... Read More

Report

E&E News | May 16, 2023

Climate group with GOP roots a go-to for tariff push

Four senators — two Democratic, two Republican — plan to unveil proposals in coming weeks that would slap a tariff on carbon-intensive goods coming... Read More

News

May 2, 2023

Why Charge Imports for their Carbon Emissions?

Over the past two years, U.S. lawmakers have expressed growing interest in border carbon adjustments (BCA), pollution import fees, and new trade deals to... Read More

Blog Article

Roll Call | April 12, 2023

As European tax looms, a border fee draws bipartisan focus

On both sides of Capitol Hill, there is budding interest in implementing taxes on carbon-intensive goods that enter the U.S., though Democrats and Republicans... Read More

News

March 27, 2023

Getting Ahead of the Curve: Primer on Border Carbon Adjustment Policy Proposals

The past two years have seen rapid development of climate and trade policy, including the announcements of an EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM),... Read More

Report

March 20, 2023

Are Tariff Rates on Energy-Intensive Trade-Exposed (EITE) Goods Contributing to the Carbon Loophole?

Climate change, supply chain issues, and geopolitical concerns are sparking new questions about the status quo of trade policies. To meaningfully address these challenges,... Read More

Blog Article

Axios | March 16, 2023

Carbon tariff talks start

A bipartisan group of senators and staffers met with NGOs on Thursday morning to talk about carbon tariffs. The discussions are nascent, but the... Read More

News

RepublicEn | February 14, 2023

EcoRight Speaks, season six, episode two: Catrina Rorke

Catrina Rorke, the executive director of the Center for Climate and Trade, joins RepublicEn's EcoRight Speaks. Last year, she came on the show to talk... Read More

News

February 9, 2023

Carbon Pricing in the Shipping Industry

Emissions from international shipping have climbed rapidly over the last decade and could account for more than 17% of global emissions by 2050. Yet... Read More

Blog Article

Penta | January 18, 2023

Closing the carbon loophole with the Climate Leadership Council

Council CEO Greg Bertelsen and Senior Vice President of Policy and Research Catrina Rorke joined Penta’s What’s at Stake podcast to discuss some of the Council’s... Read More

News

December 22, 2022

Opportunities for US-EU Steel Trade Agreement

The United States and the European Union announced on 31st October 2021 a re-establishment of transatlantic trade flows in steel and aluminum. Both parties... Read More

Report

November 30, 2022

The Climate Club: Creating a More Effective Arena for Climate Mitigation

In November, COP27 culminated with international agreement to form a new “Loss and Damage” Fund, in which developed countries would compensate developing countries for... Read More

Blog Article

November 28, 2022

Next Step After COP: Plugging the Carbon Loophole

At the U.N.’s COP27 climate conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt earlier this month, world leaders met to discuss and debate various proposals to minimize... Read More

Blog Article

November 15, 2022

Embodied Carbon in Trade: Carbon Loophole

There is an 8-billion-ton hole in how advanced countries like the United States think about addressing climate change. It’s equal to one and a... Read More

Report

November 10, 2022

Transatlantic Climate and Trade Relations: Conflict or Cooperation?

The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in August, with its $369 billion commitment to addressing climate change, has been described as the... Read More

Blog Article

September 27, 2022

New Study Highlights Carbon Advantage of U.S. Chemicals Industry

The chemicals industry can play a pivotal role in decarbonizing the global economy. Chemical products serve as ingredients in the fuels and technologies that... Read More

Blog Article

September 27, 2022

Why Does America Have a Carbon Advantage?

The United States is one of the world’s most carbon efficient economies, producing goods with far less emissions than almost any other economy. This... Read More

Blog Article

September 13, 2022

The U.S. Carbon Advantage in Chemicals Manufacturing

The United States chemicals manufacturing industry has a distinct carbon efficiency advantage compared to other major producing countries. This conclusion is supported a new... Read More

Report

August 1, 2022

Assessing Impacts to U.S. Industry from the EU’s Proposed CBAM 

We at the Council analyzed the impact of a European Union plan to charge certain carbon-intensive goods for the emissions released during their production. Though the... Read More

Blog Article

RealClearEnergy | July 7, 2022

A Carbon Border Fee Could Unify Conservatives (and Progressives, Too)

With climate stakeholders scrambling in the wake of the Supreme Court decision on West Virginia v. EPA at the end of the session, the... Read More

News

Climate Leadership Council | July 6, 2022

Climate Leadership Council Welcomes International Law Expert Matthew Porterfield to Policy and Research Team

Porterfield Adds New Depth to Council’s Emergent Center for Climate and Trade WASHINGTON, DC – The Climate Leadership Council announced today that international trade...

Statement

June 24, 2022

European Parliament Passes CBAM

The European Parliament approved a plan this week to charge some imports for their emissions in a big step towards harmonizing climate and trade in one... Read More

Blog Article

E&E News | June 16, 2022

Carbon tariffs are coming. Here’s how the U.S. is preparing

The world’s first carbon border fee was always expected to roil nations that export their emissions through polluting goods. Now it could go further... Read More

News

June 15, 2022

What Industries Import the Most Emissions to the U.S.?

Where and how goods are made has a huge impact on how much carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere during their manufacture. Most... Read More

Blog Article

June 6, 2022

A Border Adjustment Would Promote U.S. Energy Security and Weaken Russia

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has sent the West searching for tools to weaken Vladimir Putin and deter Russian aggression. There’s a way to neutralize... Read More

Blog Article

June 2, 2022

Next Up for Carbon Accounting: ‘Cradle-to-Border’ Emissions

Border carbon adjustments are gaining momentum in Washington as a way to reward trade in low-carbon goods and boost clean, U.S. manufacturers. To implement... Read More

Blog Article

June 2, 2022

The G7 + Climate Club: A Path to Global Decarbonization

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz On May 20, the Group of Seven (G7) finance ministers and central bank governors released a communique stating their intent to explore... Read More

Blog Article

Office of Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) | May 26, 2022

Sen. Cramer Participates in a Conversation with the Climate Leadership Council

Statement

E&E News | May 26, 2022

This GOP Senator Wants to Be in a Global Climate Club

…The role of trade in climate policy has recently gained traction among a small group of Republican senators, who argue that carbon border fees... Read More

News

U.S. Department of Treasury | May 20, 2022

G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting Communiqué

Statement

May 18, 2022

Biden Admin to Aim High on Climate-Trade Deals

The Center for Climate and Trade hosted its first in-person event last week, and if we had to pick one takeaway from the discussion... Read More

Blog Article

Inside U.S. Trade | May 11, 2022

USTR’s Peisch: Emissions-Focused Trade Tools Could Drive ‘Race to the Top’

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative believes trade tools offer significant untapped potential for reducing global emissions and plans to address such measures... Read More

News

May 10, 2022

The Case for Climate and Trade

As major developed economies continue to decarbonize at home, they import huge amounts of carbon in the form of goods manufactured in carbon-intensive countries... Read More

Report

April 29, 2022

Why We Should Leverage U.S. Solar’s Carbon Advantage

Worldwide solar capacity has increased over two thousand-fold in the last 20 years to more than 700 gigawatts, putting solar power at the center... Read More

Blog Article

April 6, 2022

Emissions from Imports: An Untapped Opportunity for Decarbonization

When we tally a country’s carbon emissions, we typically consider only those emissions generated within its borders. But this approach misses an important dynamic... Read More

Blog Article

March 22, 2022

We Have the Data We Need to Track Emissions in Global Trade

As the idea of using trade mechanisms to reduce climate emissions gains steam around the world, a common claim is that companies lack the... Read More

Blog Article

Foreign Policy | December 23, 2021

Use Climate and Trade Policy to Counter Putin’s Playbook

... We have an opportunity to counter Putin’s playbook with a bold initiative consistent with European priorities: a transatlantic climate and trade initiative that... Read More

News

Financial Times | November 3, 2021

A green deal to cull Trump-era metals tariffs

Another week passes, and another Trump-era trade irritant between the US and EU has been partially resolved. This time it’s the 2018 steel and... Read More

News

Wall Street Journal | November 2, 2021

Tariffs to Tackle Climate Change Gain Momentum. The Idea Could Reshape Industries.

Governments in the U.S., Europe and other developed nations are embarking on a climate-change experiment: using tariffs on trade to cut carbon emissions. The idea has... Read More

News

Wall Street Journal | October 30, 2021

At G-20 Summit, U.S. Agrees to Relax Tariffs on European Steel

The U.S. and the European Union have reached a deal to ease U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports that date to former President Donald... Read More

News

Washington Examiner | October 27, 2021

New Polling Shows GOP Support for BCA

The Climate Leadership Council, a GOP-backed group supporting a carbon tax that returns the revenue to taxpayers, is out with polling this morning showing... Read More

News

October 26, 2021

Don't Believe the Hype: A BCA Is Doable (and We're Doing Most of It Already)

Early opposition to border carbon adjustments has described the policy as too complex to design, too burdensome on companies and on government, and too... Read More

Report

May 25, 2021

U.S. Steel Industry: Leveraging A Carbon Advantage

The Climate Leadership Council commissioned CRU International Ltd., a global commodity markets intelligence firm, to study the impact of its carbon dividends plan on... Read More

Report

September 12, 2020

America’s Carbon Advantage

A first-of-its-kind study underscores America’s striking carbon efficiency advantage over its key trading partners. Read More

Report

September 12, 2020

America's Carbon Advantage One-Pager

U.S. manufacturers across industries are highly carbon efficient compared to most of their key trading partners. As a result, America makes goods with far... Read More

Report