WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
28 January 2022  
(22-0727) Page: 1/22 
Committee on Trade and Environment    
 
ENVIRONMENTAL DATABASE FOR 2020  
NOTE BY THE SECRETARIAT1 
1. The WTO Environmental Database (EDB)  is prepared in response to a recommendation in the 
1996 Report of the Committee on Trade and Environment (WT/CTE/1)  for the Secretariat to compile 
and update annually all environment -related notifications to the WTO.2 3  
2. In October 2018, a web -based EDB  application was developed. The web -based EDB is available 
through the WTO website: https://www.wto.org/edb  or through the URL address: 
https://edb.wto.org/ .4  
3. Information in the  EDB for 2020 is drawn from the 4,955 notifications submitted by 84 WTO 
Members and the 7 TPRs circulated in 2020. The full data set for 2020 can be accessed at:   
https://edb.wto.org/search?field_year%5B%5D=2020&search_api_fulltext=&field_ics_hs_code= .   
4. This note is a summary report of the underlying data contained in the EDB. It  covers 
information on: (i) environment -related measures notified under  WTO Agreements and notification 
obligations (Section 1); (ii) environment -related measures mentioned in Trade Policy Reviews (TPRs)  
(Section  2); and (iii) EDB data for topic -specific analysis (Section 3) .  
_______________  
  
 
1 This document has been prepared under the Secretariat's own responsibility and is without prejudice to 
the positions of Members or to their rights and obligations under the WTO.  
2 Previous Environmental Databases have been circulated in the following documents: EDB 1996 in 
WT/CTE/W/46, EDB 1997 in WT/CTE/W/77, EDB 1998 in WT/CTE/W/118, EDB  1999 in WT/CTE/W/143, EDB  2000 
in WT/CTE/W/195, EDB 2001 in WT/CTE/EDB/1, EDB 2002 in WT/CTE/E DB/2, EDB 2003 in WT/CTE/EDB/3, EDB 
2004 in WT/CTE/EDB/4, EDB 2005 in WT/CTE/EDB/5, EDB 2006 in WT/CTE/EDB/6, EDB  2007 in WT/CTE/EDB/7, 
EDB 2008 in WT/CTE/EDB/8, EDB 2009 in WT/CTE/EDB/9 and Add.1, EDB 2010 in  WT/CTE/EDB/10 and Add.1, 
EDB 2011 in  WT/CTE/ED B/11 and Add.1, EDB 2012 in  WT/CTE/EDB/12 and Add.1 , EDB 201 3 in WT/CTE/EDB/1 3 
and Add.1 , EDB 201 4 in WT/CTE/EDB/1 4 and Add.1 , EDB 201 5 in WT/CTE/EDB/1 5 and Add.1 , EDB 201 6 
in WT/CTE/EDB/1 6 and Add.1  EDB 201 7 in WT/CTE/EDB/1 7, EDB 2018 in WT/CTE/EDB/18 , and EDB 2019 in 
WT/CTE/EDB/19.  
3 The list of key words is contained in Annex I to this document. See also the following documents 
containing information on search words: WT/CTE/W/46, W T/CTE/W/78 and WT/CTE/W/102.  
4 Users are invited to access EDB directly from the web -based application which contains data from 2009 
to 2020. More data will be uploaded to the database as and when ready.  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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  TABLE OF CONTENTS  
1   WTO NOTIFICATIONS  ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
2   INFORMATION CONTAINED IN TRADE POLICY REVIEWS  ................................ ............  9 
3   EDB DATA FOR TOPIC -SPECIFIC ANALYSIS  ................................ ...............................  12 
3.1   EDB environment -related objectives addressing climate change  ................................ ...... 13 
3.2   WTO Members notify ing climate -related measures  ................................ .........................  14 
3.3   WTO Agreements and types of notified climate -related measures  ................................ .... 14 
3.4   Climate change coverage in the TPR entries  ................................ ................................ . 15 
4   ANNEXES  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  18 
Annex I – EDB Keywords  ................................ ................................ ................................ .. 18 
Annex II – Number of Environment -related Notifications (1997 – 2020)  ................................ ... 19 
Annex III – EDB Harmonized Categories  ................................ ................................ ..............  21 
 
TABLE OF CHARTS  
Chart 1.1 – Environment -related Notifications (1997 –2020)  ................................ ....................  3 
Chart 1.2 – Environment -related Notifications by Members (2020)  ................................ ...........  4 
Chart 1.3 – Environment -related Notifications and Measures  (2009 -2020)  ................................ . 5 
Chart 1.4 - Environment -relate d Notifications and Measures by Agreement (2020)  .....................  6 
Chart 1.5 – Types of Environment -related Objectives identified in the EDB (2020)  ......................  7 
Chart 1.6 – Type of Measures identified in the EDB (2020)  ................................ ......................  8 
Chart 1.7 – Type of Sectors identified in the EDB (2020)  ................................ ........................  9 
Chart 2.1 - Types of Environment -related Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2020)  .........................  12 
Chart 3.1 – EDB climate -related notified measures  (2011 -2020)  ................................ .............  13 
Chart 3.2 – Climate -related measures by environmental objectives (2011 -2020)  ......................  13 
Chart 3.3 – WTO Members notifying climate -related measures (2011 -2020)  .............................  14 
Chart 3.4 – Climate -related measures notified by WTO Agreement (2011 -2020)  .......................  15 
Chart 3.5 – Percentage share of TPRs with climate change related entries (2011 –2020)  .............  16 
Chart 3.6 - Number of climate change -related TPR entries by year (2011 -2020)  .......................  16 
 
 
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  1  WTO NOTIFICATIONS  
1.1.  In 2020, of the 4 ,955 notifications submitted by WTO Members,5 16.7% or 827 notifications 
were environment  related. Since 1997, there has been a sustained increase in the number of 
environment -related notifications to the WTO. The share of environment -related notifications as a 
percentage of total notifications has also more than doubled over the same time period albeit with 
year-on-year fluctuations (see Chart 1.1).  
Chart 1.1 – Environment -related Notifications (1997 –2020)  
 
 
 
1.2.  Environment -related notifications have been submitt ed by WTO Members from all regions of 
the world and at all levels of development (Chart 1.2). Eighty -four Members submitted notifications 
of environment -related measures, with Brazil (167 notifications), Rwanda (81), the United States 
(68), the European Un ion (65), and Philippines (27) notifying the highest number of environment -
related notifications in 2020.  
 
5 This number includes regular notifications, as well as addenda, corrigenda and r evisions, except in the 
case of TBT and SPS notifications where addenda and corrigenda are not covered.  
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  Chart 1.2 – Environment -related Notifications by Members ( 2020 ) 
 
 
 
 
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  1.3.  In addition to the number of notifications, it is useful to see the trends in the environment -
related measures contained therein. There were 1,391 separate EDB environment -related measures 
included from the 827 environment -related notifications in 2020. Chart 1.3 tracks the total number 
of environment -related notifications submitted yearly by Members and the total number of 
environment -related measures contained in them. There are year -on-year fluctu ations in the 
numbers , but the overall trend suggests a steady increase in environment -related notifications and 
measures over the period 2009 to 2020.   
1.4.  Some notifications are made separately for each and every measure (such as most notifications 
under th e Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) or the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  (SPS) 
Agreements) while others cover various or multiple measures in a single notification such as 
notifications pursuant to the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures, the Ag reement on 
Agriculture, Quantitative Restrictions, and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures, 
among others. For these notifications, the various environment -related measures are broken down 
and each one is reported separately in the databa se. 
 
Chart 1.3 – Environment -related Notifications and Measures  (2009 -2020) 
 
 
 
1.5.  Chart 1.4 illustrates the incidence of environment -related notifications and measures across  
the WTO Agreements in 2020.6 As in previous years, the TBT Agreement has the highest number of 
environment -related notifications (430), accounting for 52% of all WTO environment -related 
notifications in 2020. A number of environment -related measures were also notified under the SPS 
 
6 In 2020, environment -related notifications were identified under the following WTO Agreements: 
Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT); Agreeme nt on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (SPS); Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures ( ASCM); Agreement on Agriculture  (AG);; 
Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (ILP);  Agreement on Safeguards (SG) ; Understanding on th e 
Interpretation of Article XVII of the GATT 1994 (State Trading Enterprises  (STR) ); the Understanding on the 
Interpretation of Article XXIV of the GATT 1994  (Regional Trade Agreements  (RTAs) ); the General Agreement on 
Trade in Services (GATS); Decision on  Notification Procedures for Quantitative Restrictions (QR s); Agreement on 
Trade -Related Investment Measures (TRIMS) ; Government Procurement Agreement (GPA);  and the Trade 
Facilitation Agreement (TFA).  
480450 468561620551499575 602663 672827 829
6801143
945119612761349
11761492
13631764
1391
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
Environment related notifications Environment related measuresWT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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  Agreement (205 notifications)7, the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures (64), the Agreement 
on Agriculture (60), Quantitative Restrictions (29), and the Trade Facilitation Agreement (15).8  
1.6.  In terms of environment -related measures  in 2020 , the TBT Agr eement reported the highest 
number of measures with 430  environment -related measures, followed by Quantitative Restrictions 
(249), the Agreement on Agriculture (226), the SPS Agreement (205), and the Import Licensing 
Procedures Agreement with 175 environme nt-related measures.9 
Chart 1.4 - Environment -related Notifications and Measures by Agreement (2020)  
 
 
 
1.7.  The environment -related measures mentioned in the 2020 notifications addressed a range of 
environmental  objectives (see Chart 1.5), including chemical, toxic and hazardous substances 
management (36.2%), MEAs implementation and compliance (18.8%), Environmental protection 
from pests and diseases (16.3%), Sustainable agriculture management (11.4%), and waste 
management and recycling (9.6%).  
 
7 In 2020, the number of environment -related notificat ions recorded under the SPS Agreement are 
significantly higher than in previous years. This is because some Members, while notifying pesticides and 
household chemicals, noted that their own standards may differ from Codex standards due to varying 
environme ntal factors.  
8 In 2020, n o environment -related notifications were submitted under the following WTO Agreements:  
Agreement on Implementation of Article VI of the GATT 1994 (Anti -dumping (ADP)); Agreement on 
Implementation of Article VII of the GATT 1994 ( Customs Valuation (VAL)); Agreement on Pre -shipment 
Inspection  (PSI);  Agreement on Rules of Origin  (RO); Agreement on Trade -Related Aspects of Intellectual 
Property Rights (TRIPS);  Informa tion Technology Agreement (ITA);  Understanding on the Balance -of-Payments 
(BOP) Provisions of GAT T 1994; and Other notification provisions such as preferential trade agreements notified 
to the Committee on Trade and Development.  
9 Under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measur es, WTO Members notify once every two 
years, which explains the year -on-year variation in environment -related ASCM notifications and measures. See 
G/SCM/M/30, para. 6 and G/SCM/M/46, para. 43. In 2020, the number of notifications and measures notified 
under the ASCM is significantly lower than in 2019.  
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  Chart 1.5 – Types of Environment -related Objectives10 identified in the EDB (2020 )11  
 
 
 
1.8.  In terms of types of measure (see Chart 1. 6), technical regulation or specifications  accounted 
for the largest share in the 2020 notifications (46.9%) , followed by import licenses (20.5%), 
ban/prohibitions (14.9%), export licenses (10.7%), and non -monetary support (9.8% ).  
  
 
10 See Annex III for a list of the harmonized categories by types of measures, objectives or sectors.  
11 Since more than one environmental objective /measure/sector  can be mentioned in a notified measure, 
the total number may exceed 100 %. 
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  Chart 1.6 – Type of Measures12 identified in the EDB (2020)13 
 
 
 
1.9.  In the sectoral analysis (Chart 1. 7), the sector that was most frequently associated with 
environment -related measures in 2020 was agriculture  with 39.0%  of all the identified measures, 
followed by chemicals (35.4%), manufacturing (23.8%) and services (6.3%). Sectors such as wildlife 
or was te are captured under the heading "Other" and accounted for 18.2%  of the total measures.  
  
 
12 See Annex III for a list of the harmonized categories by types of measures, objectives or sectors.  
13 Since more than one environmental objective /measure/sector  can be mentioned in a notified measure, 
the total number may exce ed 100 %. 
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  Chart 1.7 – Type of Sectors14 identified in the EDB (2020)15 
 
 
1.10.  Further infographics, charts and the full set of EDB notification data can be accessed from the 
EDB web -based interface available through the WTO website: https://www.wto.org/edb .  
2  INFORMATION CONTAINED IN TRADE POLI CY REVIEWS  
2.1.  The EDB also covers information on the environment -related policies, measures or programmes 
contained in the Secretariat and Government Trade Policy Review (TPR) reports. Seven TPRs were 
considered by the Trade Policy Review Body in 2020, namely  (in alphabetical order): Australia, 
European Union, Indonesia, Japan, Macao China, Thailand, and Zimbabwe.  
2.2.  There were 756 entries with references to environment -related policies, measures or sectors 
in these TPRs.16 The environment -related TPR entries are  reported under the headings: trade policy 
framework; trade policies and practices by measure; and trade policies by sector. In general, trade 
policy framework entries include information on government environmental policies, plans, 
programmes and investme nt policies. Environment -related trade policies and practices by measure 
include environmental requirements and quantitative restrictions  (e.g. technical regulation or 
specifications, conformity assessment procedures, import/export licences, bans and proh ibitions); 
price and market -based measures (e.g. import/export tariffs, import/export quotas, and internal 
taxes); and support measures (e.g. grants and direct payments, loans and financing, tax 
concessions, non -monetary support measures, income or price s upport, and public procurement). 
The environment -related sectors mentioned in the 2020 TPRs include agriculture, chemicals, energy, 
fisheries, forestry, manufacturing, mining, services, and others.  
2.3.  The TPR of Australia17 includes 80 environment -related ent ries. Examples of the trade policy 
framework entries in the TPR include Australia's strong support of the WTO’s trade and environment 
agenda, including in the Committee on Trade and Environment; the active role played by Australia 
in the plurilateral Envir onmental Goods Agreement (EGA), including as Chair of the negotiations; 
 
14 See Annex III for a list of the harmonized categories by types of measures, objectives or sectors.  
15 Since more than one environmental objective /measure/sector  can be mentioned in a notified measure, 
the total number may exceed 100 %. 
16 The numbe r of environment -related TPR entries corresponds to the number of times environment -
related policies, measures or programmes are mentioned in the Secretariat or Government TPR Reports.  
17 WT/TPR/G/396 and WT/TPR/S/396/Rev.1.  
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  and Australia continuing to pursue trade and environment policies through Free Trade Agreement 
negotiations. On environment -related measures, the TPR entries cover, inter alia: the tra nsaction 
value method being used for customs valuation in nearly all cases except where no previous sale 
has occurred or the good is of a unique nature (e.g. endangered species); the support provided to 
environmental protection  in the federal and sub -federal non -agricultural subsidy programmes 
notified to the WTO. In the sectoral analysis, examples of the TPR entries include Australia's active 
participation in the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations in recognition of the potential contribution 
that subsidy  reform could make to improve the sustainability of marine capture fisheries; the 
National Drought Policy that aims at farmers and rural communities adopting self -reliant approaches 
to managing climate variability and the maintenance and protection of the resource base during 
periods of climatic stress.  
2.4.  The TPR of the European Union18 includes 206 environment -related entries. Examples of the 
trade policy framework entries in the TPR  include, at the multilateral level, the EU as an active player 
in the work of the WTO Committee on Trade and Environment and its support to efforts to liberalise 
trade in environmental goods and services; at the bilateral level, the EU 's promot ion of 
environmental considerations in its trade agreements through dedicated chapters on trade and 
sustainable development; and at the unilateral level, the EU's Special Incentive Arrangement for 
Sustainable Development and Good Governance (GSP+). On environment -related measures, the 
TPR entries cover, inter alia: the guide for addressing climate change adaptation in standards 
intended to help standard writers address the consequences and implications of climate change; and 
only legally -harvested timber, and products  made thereof, can be exported to the EU from countries 
operating the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT ) licensing scheme. In the 
sectoral analysis, examples of the TPR entries include the EU regulation in 2017 on the sustainable 
manageme nt of external fishing fleets; and the key objectives of the EU's energy policy, namely, 
improving security of energy supply, completing the internal energy market, boosting energy 
efficiency, decarbonizing the economy , and becoming a world leader in renew able energy.  
2.5.  The TPR of Indonesia19 includes 117 environment -related entries. Examples of the trade policy 
framework entries in the TPR include that Indonesia benefitted from the G20 to project its national 
short-and-mid-term interests in international for a, such as blended finance for SDGs financing; and 
public expenditures were refocused from inefficient energy subsidies towards productive 
infrastructure investments. On environment -related measures, the TPR entries cover, inter alia: the 
regulatory framew ork for government procurement that was revised in 2018, with the stated 
objective of achieving value for money, contributing to the increased use of domestic products, 
increasing MSMEs'  participation, and sustainable development; the continued use of expo rt taxes as 
a policy tool for reducing the rate of depletion of non -renewable mining resources in Indonesia; and 
the many agriculture and food technology standards that were non -harmonized, due to 
environmental, geographical and cultural specificities. In the sectoral analysis, examples of the TPR 
entries include an ecosystem approach to fisheries management taken to address illegal, unreported 
and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities in Indonesia; and a social forestry programme under way 
and the action ta ken to address deforestation through a moratorium prohibiting the conversion of 
primary natural forests and peatlands to palm oil, pulpwood and logging concessions.  
2.6.  The TPR of Macao, China20 includes 64 environment -related entries. Examples of the trade 
policy framework entries in the TPR include the Macao Special Administrative Region (MSAR) 
Government's Five -Year Development Plan (2016 -2020) with goals such as enhancing the efficiency 
and e ffectiveness of environmental protection;  and the CEPA Economic and Technical Cooperation 
Agreement ( CEPA Ecotech Agreement) that covers 14 areas of cooperation, including environmental 
protection. On environment -related measures, the TPR entries cover, in ter alia: that Macao, China 
applies a zero -rated tariff on all imports, by virtue of its free -port status, and only imposes 
import/export prohibitions or restrictions/licences on health, safety, security or environmental 
protection grounds, or to comply wi th its international commitments such as those pursuant to CITES 
or the Montreal Protocol; with respect to the treatment of waste, the MSAR Government promotes 
the "polluter pays" principle, encourages the reduction and recycling of plastics and other wast es. In 
the sectoral analysis, examples of the TPR entries include the Government prioritizes environmental 
protection, energy conservation, and the use of clean and safe alternative energies in its energy 
policy; and the Macao General Policy of Land Transp ort 2010 -20, that aims to develop a commuter - 
and traveller friendly city, with green transportation.  
 
18 WT/TPR/G/ 395 and WT/TPR/S/ 395/Rev.1.  
19 WT/TPR/G/401/Rev.1 and WT/TPR/S/401/Rev.1.  
20 WT/TPR/G/402 and WT/TPR/S/402/Rev.1.  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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  2.7.  The TPR of Thailand21 includes 130 environment -related entries. Examples of the trade policy 
framework entries in the TPR include Thailand's efforts to re structure industrial production from 
linear to a circulating pattern that employs waste management and raw material recycling concepts; 
and the Government's 20 -Year National Strategy (2018 -37), that establishes the economic, social 
and environmental target s to be achieved during this period. On environment -related measures, the 
TPR entries cover, inter alia: Thailand's Board of Investment incentives to promote investment in 
targeted industries, including those related to the Bio -Circular -Green (BCG) economy  model; the 
permission needed for the import or export of CITES -listed species, and other protected, endangered 
or reserved species; and Thailand amending its Patent Act to address applications for patents related 
to genetic resources and traditional knowl edge. In the sectoral analysis, the TPR entries include the 
Ministry of Industry's Action Plan increasing manufacturing productivity via recycling technologies 
and reusing industrial waste; and Thailand addressing overfishing and overcapacity problems 
through fishing gear control measures, fishing days and fishing licenses and a new Thai fishing vessel 
registration system to control and monitor the entire fishing fleet.   
2.8.  The TPR of Zimbabwe22 includes 61 environment -related entries. Examples of the trade p olicy 
framework entries in the TPR include the country’s growth being weighed down by severe exogenous 
shocks related to climate change; and the Joint Ventures Act establishing rules for public -private 
procurement and for public -private partnerships to sup port investments in specified sectors, 
including solid waste management works and renewable energy. On environment -related measures, 
the TPR entries cover, inter alia: the movement of wildlife within Zimbabwe and across its borders 
being controlled by a pe rmit system, run by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority; 
and that Zimbabwe had introduced a mandatory pre -shipment  conformity assessment scheme to 
reduce the risk of hazardous and substandard imported products entering the country, for con sumer 
and environmental protection reasons. In the sectoral analysis, examples of the TPR entries include 
the Government embracing Climate Smart Agriculture to harmoni ze agriculture development with 
environment protection and reduction in vulnerabilities t o climate change; Zimbabwe as a party to 
the Southern African Development Community ( SADC ) Protocol on Forestry relating to the 
development, conservation, sustainable management, and utilization of all types of forests and trees, 
and trade in forest products within the SADC region; and new mining projects in Zimbabwe requiring 
an environmental impact assessment and the mining fees and charges include an environment fee.  
2.9.  To illustrate the range of TPR entries, Chart 2.1 below provides a detailed breakdown of the 
types of environment -related measures reported in the TPRs. In 2020 , other than general 
environmental reference,  the environment -related measures most frequently mentioned in the TPRs  
include  technical regulation and specifications (14%), other environmental  requirements (11%), 
other support measures (10%), import licences (9%),  ban/proh ibition ( 8%), grants and direct 
payments ( 7%), other measures (6%),  loans and financing (6%) and export licences (6%).   
 
21 WT/TPR/G/400 and WT/TPR/S/400/Rev.1.  
22 WT/TPR/G/398 and WT/TPR/S/398/Rev.1.  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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  Chart 2.1 - Types of Environment -related Measures Mentioned in TPRs (2020)  
 
 
 
3  EDB DATA FOR TOPIC -SPECIFIC ANALYSIS  
3.1.  Building on previous EDB presentations and the feedback received from Members at the CTE,23 
Section 3 in the 2020 EDB report focuses on climate change and provide s an illustration of the 
notifications and TPR data available in the EDB for thematic or topic -specific analysis.  
3.2.  Data on climate change is presented in the report - using a 10 year period, i.e. from 2011 to 
2020, for analysis. For climate change, the database search functionalities24 can be used to filter 
data by e nvironment -related objectives25 or by keywords.26 Climate change data in the EDB 
notifications have been analysed by using the environment -related objectives search filter, while the 
EDB climate change data in the TPRs has been analysed using the keywords search filter. 27  
3.3.  As shown in Chart 3.1, an increasing number of environment -related trade measures notified 
are addressing climate change. The number of climate change -related measures has fluctuated on a 
year-by-year basis, ranging from 269 measures in 2012 to 580 measures in 2019.28 In total , WTO 
Members have notified 4,102 measures over the last 10 years (31% of all EDB measures).  
 
23 See WT/CTE/M/67 (pages 16 -17), WT/CTE/M/68 (pages 28 -30) and WT/CTE/M/ 71 (pages  32-33). 
24 See Annex I for the full list of Keywords and Annex III for the full list of harmonized categories used to 
tag EDB data by types of measures, objectives, or sectors.  
25  The harmonized environment -related objectives that can directly or i ndirectly be used to filter  climate -
related  information in the EDB  are: afforestation/reforestation; air pollution reduction; alternative and renewable 
energy; climate change mitigation and adaptation; energy conservation and efficiency; and ozone layer 
protection.  
26 The keywords or free text search  that can be used to filter  climate -related  information in the 
EDB are: greenhouse, climate, GHG, emission, carbon, renewable.  
27 Other topics or themes may be examined in subsequent EDB reports based on the keywords or the 
harmonized categories used to categorize data in the EDB.  
28 The drop in 2020, may be attributable to the year -on-year fluctuations, in particular pursuant to the 
Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures  (see also Char t 1.4 and footnote 9) . 
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  Chart 3.1 – EDB climate -related notified measures  (2011 -2020)  
 
 
 
3.1  EDB environment -related objectives  addressing climate change  
3.4.  All the notified trade measures included in the EDB are tagged based on their environmental 
objectives, many of which are either directly or indirectly linked to addressing climate change, 
namely : afforestation/reforestation; air pollution reduction; alternative and renewable energy; 
climate change mitigation and adaptation; energy conservation and efficiency; and ozone layer 
protection. Furthermore, a single measure entered in the database may be ass igned multiple or more 
than one harmonized objective.29  
Chart 3.2 – Climate -related measures by environmental objectives (2011 -2020)  
 
3.5.  Chart 3.2 demonstrates the year -wise break -up of the different climate ch ange related  
objectives pursued by Members through measures notified to the WTO. Over the last 10 years, the 
objective "climate change mitigation and adaptation" was specifically identified in 794 measures. 
 
29 For example, the 2020 subsidies measure notified by the European Union ( G/SCM/N/284/EU/ADD.16 ) 
to support projects that aim to reduce ca rbon dioxide emissions by using renewable energy, has been tagged to 
multiple EDB harmonized environment -related objectives, namely: air pollution reduction, alternative and 
renewable energy, climate change mitigation and adaptation , and energy conservatio n and efficiency.  
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  These included, for instance, environmental progr ammes notified by Nepal under the Agreement on 
Agriculture to build resilience to climate -related hazards30 or the technical regulation notified 
pursuant to the TBT Agreement by Colombia, establishing indicators relating to the greenhouse gas 
emissions inventory for biofuels.31 
3.6.  In addition, "energy conservation and efficiency" and "alternative and renewable energy" are 
also two important  objectives pursued by Members, accounting for 73% of all climate -related 
measures. For instance, preferentia l tax and price support for individuals and organizations 
participating in the investment and development of wind power projects in Viet  Nam32 or technical 
regulations and guidelines to incentivise agro -industrialization powered by clean energy in Uganda.33  
3.7.  In 2020, on climate change, the top harmonized objective tagged in the database was "energy 
conservation and efficiency" (32%), followed by "ozone layer protection", which constituted 27% of 
all climate -related EDB measures. This included, for example, the import licensing requirements 
notified by Montenegro and also by Hong Kong, China to regulate the import and export of ozone 
depleting substances.34 
3.2  WTO Members notifying climate -related measures  
3.8.  Over the last 10 years, 128 WTO Members have notified a t least one or more climate -related 
measure. These measures have been notified by Members from all regions of the world and at all 
levels of development. While  developed  Members accounted  for around 58% of these notified 
measures, developing (1 ,588 measure s) and least -developed  Members  (62 measures) also notified 
a significant number of climate -related measures,  with a marked 45% increase over the past decade.  
3.9.  There is a high concentration in terms of the WTO Members that have submitted these 
notifications,  as the top ten Members alone account for 67.8% of all notified climate -related 
measures recorded in the EDB . The United States (1,018), followed by the European Union (715), 
China (305), Australia (172), and Canada (147) are the Members who most notified climate -related 
measures (see Chart 3.3. for the top 10 WTO Members).  
Chart 3.3 – WTO Members notifying climate -related measures (2011 -2020)  
 
 
3.3  WTO Agreements and types of notified climate -related measures  
3.10.  Climate change  has been addressed  using a wide variety of trade policy measures or 
instruments over the past decade (2011 -2020).  This is evident from the range of notifications across 
almost every WTO Agreement. However , most of these measures were notified under the Agreement 
 
30 G/AG/N/NPL/12 . 
31 G/TBT/N/COL/223 . 
32 G/SCM/N/343/VNM . 
33 G/TBT/N/UGA/1183 . 
34 G/LIC/N/3/MNE/3 , G/LIC/N/3/HKG/23 . 
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  on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (44%) and the Agreement on  Technical Barriers to Trade 
(34%) (Chart 3.4).  
Chart 3.4 – Climate -related measures notified by WTO Agreement (2011 -2020)  
 
 
3.11.  In 2020, a deeper look at these measures provides examples on the use of different trade 
policies, often to pursue the same or similar environmental policy objectives. For example, the 
technical regulation notified by United Arab Emirates regarding energy efficienc y label s for electrical 
appliances35 or the prohibition and import licenses established by Australia to phase -out inefficient  
incandescent lighting, highlight both TBT or licensing mechanisms for energy conservation and 
efficiency purposes with the resulta nt climate benefits.36 Table 3.1, drawn from EDB data over the 
last 10 years shows that technical regulation or specifications (33%), followed by grants and direct 
payments (26%)  and conformity assessment procedures (13%) were the most common types of 
trade policy measures or instruments to address climate change.37 
Table 3.1 - Top 10 types  of climate -related  measures  notified  by Members  (2011–2020)  
Harmonized types of measures  Number of measures  Share  
Technical regulation or specifications  1344  32.8%  
Grants and direct payments  1084  26.4%  
Conformity assessment procedures  533 13.0%  
Tax concessions  522 12.7%  
Import licences  339 8.3%  
Loans and financing  252 6.1%  
Ban/Prohibition  203 4.9%  
Countervailing measure / investigation  201 4.9%  
Non -monetary support  150 3.7%  
Export licences  104 2.5%  
 
 
3.4  Climate change  coverage in the  TPR entries  
3.12.  Over the last 10 years  (2011 -2020) , there have been a total of 162 TPRs  published and these 
reports , since 2016,  have included at least one or more references to climate change (Chart  3.5). 
 
35 G/TBT/N/ARE/480 . 
36 G/LIC/N/3/AUS/13 . 
37 See Annex III for the full list of harmonized categories used to tag EDB data by types of measures.  
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  Based on a keyword -based search analysis, o n average , 83% of these TPRs included climate change  
related trade policies , measures , or sectoral references.38 
Chart 3.5 – Percentage s hare of TPRs with climate change  related entries (2011 –2020)  
 
 
 
3.13.  Overall, between 2011 and 2020, climate change  related trade measures, instruments or 
sectoral policies were referenced to in TPRs and accounted for around 1 ,500 TPR entries recorded in 
the EDB. This works out to  an average of  more than 150 TPR  entries per year (Chart 3 .6).  
3.14.  A breakdown of the data shows that the top 10 WTO Members with information in the TPRs 
are: the European Union which had the highest number of climate change  related TPR entries (123), 
followed by Australia (65), United States (63), China (60), Switzerland and Liechtenstein (47), 
Thailand ( 44), Indonesia (44), Norway (41), Canada (37 and Chinese Taipei (36).  
Chart 3.6 - Number of climate change -related TPR entries by year (2011 -2020)  
 
 
 
38 The keywords or free text search words used to filter climate change -related TPR  entrie s are: carbon, 
climate, emission, GHG, greenhouse, renewable.  
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  3.15.  The TPRs i n 2020  alone , included 190 climate change  relate d TPR entries . In addition to the 
information provided in Section 2  of this document , other examples  of TPR entries include : Australia’s 
seeking  to reduce greenhouse gas emissions  in primary industries  by 63% over a 20 year period ; 
the European Union’s vertical regulations for industrial emissions and ambient air quality; Indonesia’s 
climate mitigation and adaptation strategies for the marine fisheries sector; Japan’s public 
procurement legislation for the  State and other Entities, with due consideration given for reduction 
of emissions of greenhouse gases; China Macao’s goal to source  at least 40% of clean electricity 
from mainland China; Thailand’s focus on promoting renewable energy through incentives in the 
form of corporate income ta x and tariff exemptions; and Zimbabwe’s new and recently introduced 
carbon tax . 
3.16.  To con clude, the EDB data extracted from the TPRs illustrate the wide array of trade policy 
instruments being increasingly used by WTO Members to support climate action . The me asures 
extracted from notifications also highlight the mutual supportiveness of trade and environmental or 
climate policies. The WTO’s EDB , as a transparency tool , remains available  for further thematic or 
topic-specific research .  
 
 
 
_______________
  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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  4  ANNEXES  
Annex I – EDB Keywords1  
Keywords  
Bio Fish Organic  
Clean  Forest  Ozone  
Climate  Genetic  Plastic 
Conservation  Green  Pollution  
Desertification  Hazardous  Recycle 
Eco Indigenous  Renewable  
Emissions  Labelling  Soil 
Endangered  MEAs  Sustainable  
Energy  Natural disaster  Waste 
Environment  Natural resources  Wildlife  
 
 
1 See also the following documents containing information on search words: WT/CTE/W/46, WT/CTE/W/78 
and WT/CTE/W/102.   
  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
- 19 - Annex II – Number of Environment -related Notifications1 (1997 – 2020 ) 
WTO Agreements  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008  
TBT 89 (795)  98 (648)  83 (671)  97 (610)  67 (539)  114 (582)  100 (794)  107 (638)  121 (771)  155 (874)  168 (1032)  238 (1265)  
SPS 8 (286)  21 (296)  12 (402)  26 (402)  25 (621)  47 (610)  50 (687)  57 (612)  105 (1298)  140 (901)  98 (849)  84 (889)  
SCM 16 (136)  32 (133)  27 (126)  38 (160)  24 (159)  31 (177)  34 (171)  13 (122)  27 (168)  8 (97)  33 (164)  5 (99)  
Agriculture  20 (237)  22 (216)  27 (195)  40 (228)  40 (242)  32 (197)  34 (173)  29 (157)  25 (148)  24 (126)  32 (119)  24 (137)  
Anti-Dumping  4 (109)  1 (133)  3 (133)  0 (127)  0 (134)  1 (166)  2 (155)  3 (134)  0 (127)  0 (112)  0 (118)  0 (134)  
ILP 13 (51)  20 (63)  10 (68)  21 (77)  7 (55)  13 (96)  16 (57)  12 (40)  20 (45)  19 (62)  13 (65)  20 (51)  
Safeguards  0 (42)  1 (47)  0 (99)  1 (110)  1 (137)  1 (170)  1 (147)  3 (75)  1 (80)  0 (86)  0 (59)  0 (73)  
Customs Valuation  0 (9) 1 (14)  1 (15)  3 (36)  1 (41)  1 (41)  0 (11)  0 (17)  1 (13)  0 (1) 0 (9) 0 (12)  
State Trading  0 (37)  2 (36)  0 (50)  0 (50)  1 (56)  5 (58) 3 (38)  0 (43)  1 (12)  1 (37)  0 (20)  1 (24)  
RTAs 6 (55)  8 (74)  14 (75)  8 (56)  10 (64)  0 (41)  0 (56)  0 (70)  0 (63)  0 (30)  0 (25)  4 (37)  
TRIPS  0 (172)  1 (106)  3 (69)  5 (333)  6 (236)  16 (225)  5 (147)  7 (251)  2 (59)  2 (38)  3 (72)  7 (139)  
GATS  0 (24)  1 (25) 0 (21)  0 (25)  0 (46)  7 (43)  0 (41)  4 (52)  1 (53)  1 (29)  0 (41)  0 (49)  
QRs 5 (15)  3 (11)  2 (13)  5 (18)  2 (10)  4 (14)  2 (8) 7 (10)  1 (6) 2 (8) 3 (6) 4 (12)  
TRIMs  0 (18)  0 (22)  0 (12)  0 (10)  0 (2) 0 (29)  0 (13)  0 (12)  0 (14)  0 (14)  0 (13)  0 (9) 
BoP Provisions  1 (23)  0 (11)  0 (7) 0 (9) 0 (7) 0 (4) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 
Preshipment 
Inspection  0 (2) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 
Rules of Origin  0 (4) 0 (6) 0 (3) 0 (4) 0 (6) 0 (4) 0 (4) 0 (3) 0 (2) 0 (1) 0 (7) 0 (4) 
GPA 2 (7) 0 (14)  0 (9) 0 (19)  2 (14)  9 (21)  0 (8) 1 (11)  5 (11)  4 (10)  3 (8) 8 (14)  
ITA 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 
Trade Facilitation  0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 
Other notifications  1 (5) 0 (5) 0 (3) 1 (8) 0 (6) 0 (4) 0 (3) 1 (7) 1 (3) 1 (2) 0 (5) 0 (8) 
Total environment -
related notifications  165 (2027)  211 (1861)  182 (1972)  245 (2282)  186 (2376)  281 (2482)  247 (2513)  244 (2256)  311 (2874)  357 (2428)  353 (2613)  395 (2957)  
Share of 
environment -related 
notifications  8.14%  11.3%  9.2%  10.7%  7.8%  11.3%  9.8%  10.8%  10.8%  14.7%  13.5%  13.4%  
  
 
1 Figures in parenthesis represent the total number of notifications  submitted by Members  under each relevant WTO Agreement.  This number includ es regular notifications as well as addenda, 
corrigenda and revisions , except in the case of  TBT and SPS notifications, where addenda, corrigenda and revisions  are not covered.   
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WTO Agreements  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019  2020  
TBT  274 (1490)  270 (1413)  268 (1216)  353 (1551)  384 (1605)  358 (1558)  305 (1305)  377 (1686)  390 (1827)  483 (1881)  439 (2110)  430 (1987)  
SPS  81 (737)  83 (1051)  76 (1007)  91 (856)  107 (929)  44 (1169)  47 (1283)  62 (1037)  51 (1110)  40 (1255)  29 (1175)  205 (1462)  
SCM  40 (181)  8 (117)  42 (140)  15 (108)  48 (158)  29 (110)  52 (130)  31 (127)  61 (132)  18 (107)  66 (152)  12 (110)  
Agriculture  36 (210)  49 (195)  44 (182)  42 (203)  34 (135)  42 (210)  32 (148)  43 (208)  44 (202)  49 (280)  49 (439)  60 (351)  
Anti-Dumping  0 (157)  0 (164)  0 (127)  0 (133)  0 (122)  2 (120)  0 (114)  0 (143)  0 (107)  2 (125)  0 (125)  0 (132)  
ILP 23 (82)  20 (72) 23 (78)  30 (85)  23 (96)  38 (99)  33 (74)  39 (96)  24 (54)  30 (79)  48 (99)  64 (236)  
Safeguards  0 (171)  0 (106)  1 (64) 1 (89) 2 (112)  2 (110)  4 (79)  0 (89)  0 (61) 2 (80)  0 (150)  1 (149)  
Customs Valuation  0 (6) 0 (4) 0 (4) 3 (13)  2 (13)  2 (23)  2 (9) 0 (4) 0 (6) 0 (3) 3 (23)  0 (9) 
State Trading  0 (29)  3 (77) 0 (8) 3 (39) 0 (17)  2 (51)  1 (14)  2 (41)  8 (30)  4 (42)  1 (12)  4 (37)  
RTAs  4 (30)  4 (26)  3 (33)  2 (37) 2 (40)  4 (19)  3 (12)  3 (18)  3 (16)  5 (10)  6 (12)  3 (9) 
TRIPS  2 (84)  7 (97) 9 (66)  4 (139)  9 (209)  5 (96)  1 (67)  1 (142)  0 (80)  0 (144)  0 (109)  0 (146)  
GATS  0 (68)  2 (45)  1 (38)  3 (66)  1 (48)  3 (75)  7 (64)  1 (21)  1 (25)  1 (17)  4 (71)  2 (45)  
QRs 1 (8) 1 (6) 1 (8) 13 (14)  5 (10)  15 (22)  8 (11)  12 (16)  7 (10)  18 (24)  17 (20)  29 (78)  
TRIMs  0 (21)  0 (18)  0 (4) 0 (4) 0 (6) 0 (6) 0 (5) 1 (4) 0 (2) 2 (4) 0 (4) 1(3) 
BoP Provisions  0 (9) 0 (6) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (5) 1 (4) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 
Preshipment 
Inspection  0 (0) 0 (2) 0 (2) 0 (4) 0 (3) 0 (2) 0 (2) 0 (1) 0 (2) 0 (2) 0 (4) 0 (4) 
Rules of Origin  0 (5) 0 (4) 0 (8) 0 (14)  0 (22)  0 (17)  0 (13)  0 (17)  0 (13)  0 (16)  0 (11)  0 (18)  
GPA 18 (29)  3 (32)  2 (16)  1 (13)  2 (15)  5 (27)  4 (40)  2 (66) 3 (46)  3 (46)  2 (25)  1 (50)  
ITA  0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 
Trade Facilitation  0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (55)  0 (26)  0 (17)  9 (57)  6 (108)  7 (162)  15 (126)  
Other notifications  1 (4) 0 (6) 0 (9) 0 (6) 1 (5) 0 (4) 0 (7) 0 (7) 1 (5) 0 (2) 1 (3) 0 (3) 
Total environment -
related notifications  480 (3321)  450 (3441)  470 (3010)  561 (3374)  620 (3545)  551 (3773)  499 (3408)  575 (3744)  602 (3786)  663 (4225)  672 (4706)  827 (4955)  
Share of 
environment -
related notifications  14.5%  13.1% 15.5% 16.6% 17.5%  14.6%  14.6%  15.4%  15.9%  15.69%  14.28%  16.69%  
 
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 Annex III – EDB Harmonized Categories   
Table 4.1 – Category of environment -related objectives (25)  
Afforestation/reforestation  
Air pollution reduction  
Alternative and renewable energy  
Animal protection  
Biodiversity and ecosystem  
Chemical, toxic and hazardous substances management  
Climate change mitigation and adaptation  
Energy conservation and efficiency  
Environmental goods and services promotion  
Environmental protection from pests and diseases  
Environmentally -friendly consumption  
General environmental protection  
MEAs  implementation and compliance  
Natural resources conservation  
Other environmental risks mitigation  
Ozone layer protection  
Plant protection  
Soil management and conservation  
Sustainable agriculture management  
Sustainable and environmentally -friendly production  
Sustainable fisheries management  
Sustainable forestry management  
Sustainable mining management  
Waste management and recycling  
Water management and conservation  
 
 
Table 4.2 – Category of type of measures (3 1) 
Anti-dumping measure / investigation  
Ban/Prohibition  
Conformity assessment procedures  
Countervailing measure / investigation  
Environmental provisions in trade agreements  
Export licences  
Export quotas  
Export tariffs  WT/CTE/EDB/20  
 
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 General environmental reference 1  
Grants and direct payments  
Import licences  
Import quotas  
Import tariffs  
Income or price support  
Intellectual property measures  
Internal taxes  
Investment measures  
Loans and financing  
Non-monetary support  
Not specified  
Other environmental requirements  
Other measures  
Other price and market -based measures  
Other support measures  
Public procurement  
Quarantine requirements  
Regulation affecting movement or transit  
Risk assessment  
Safeguard measure / investigation  
Tax concessions  
Technical regulation or specifications  
 
Table 4.3 – Category of sectors subject to the measure (11)  
Agriculture  
All products/economic activities  
Chemicals  
Energy  
Fisheries  
Forestry  
Manufacturing  
Mining  
Not specified  
Other  
Services  
 
 
__________  
 
 
1 "General environmental reference" is a harmonized category that was introduced for EDB TPR entries 
from 2016 onwards.