UNCTAD says trade cooperation can accelerate climate technology access and resilience

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UNCTAD on trade and climate

Highlights

Global exports of goods linked to solar and wind energy value chains are expected to exceed $1.8 trillion in 2025, outpacing other manufactured goods.
Of 174 countries surveyed in 2025, only seven report fully implementing trade facilitation measures for green and climate-relevant goods, highlighting major gaps in practical adoption.
Developing economies already export an estimated $1.3 trillion in biodiversity-based goods, $1.2 trillion in ocean goods and services, and $204 billion in non-plastic substitutes.

Trade policy tools before COP31

As reported by UNCTAD, its latest Global Trade Update says stronger trade cooperation is essential to improving access to climate technologies, particularly in developing countries, ahead of the 2026 UN climate change conference, COP31, scheduled for 9-20 November in Antalya, Türkiye.

The agency says technologies such as solar panels, batteries, water management systems and climate-resilient agricultural equipment are central to cutting emissions and adapting to climate change. In 2025, global exports of goods linked to solar and wind energy value chains, from primary inputs to final products, exceed $1.8 trillion, growing faster than exports of other manufactured goods.

UNCTAD says international trade can reduce costs and speed deployment by supporting cross-border flows of goods, services, investment and knowledge. But it warns that tariffs can raise the price of climate technologies and limit industrial upgrading opportunities, especially in developing economies.

It adds that non-tariff measures, including technical regulations, product standards and conformity assessment procedures, remain important for protecting health and the environment. At the same time, these measures can increase costs and delay the rollout of climate technologies when they are not developed transparently, notified in time, designed to avoid unnecessary discrimination or backed by support that helps developing countries comply.

Implementation gaps and developing economy impact

UNCTAD says climate considerations are appearing more often in trade agreements, with more than half of agreements signed between 2016 and 2021 containing climate-related provisions, up from 18% between 1990 and 2015. Even so, only 7% of identified climate-related provisions address cutting tariff and non-tariff barriers.

Implementation also remains uneven. Of 174 countries surveyed in 2025, only seven report fully implementing trade facilitation measures for green and climate-relevant goods, and the report says outcomes still depend more on political will, institutional capacity, and financial and technical support than on binding measures alone.

The update says trade can also help climate-vulnerable economies diversify exports, reduce reliance on a narrow product base and create more resilient income and employment streams. Developing economies already export an estimated $1.3 trillion in biodiversity-based goods, $1.2 trillion in ocean goods and services, and about $204 billion in non-plastic substitutes.

UNCTAD calls for stronger coordination between trade and environment policymakers at national, regional and multilateral levels. It says trade agreements should move beyond broad commitments and support practical implementation through better access to climate technologies, more infrastructure investment and stronger productive capacities.

Our earlier article on rising U.S. toy prices explained how import tariffs, alongside higher energy, commodity, and shipping costs, were pushing retail prices up heading into the holiday season. It also noted that even after tariff rates eased, shelf prices could stay elevated because pricing reflects earlier cost conditions and ongoing supply-chain pressures.

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