. The challenge is to continue to feed the world while reducing the use of so much fertilizer."Many countries are advancing important agroecological solutions like crop rotation, using plants that fix nitrogen in the soil, and doing more composting," Hansen-Kuhn adds."These techniques are under the control of farmers, so they don't rely on imports or trade in these chemical inputs.
Although CBAM may make European trade greener, it may also widen the"green gap" between Europe and the rest of the world."We need a transition to agroecology, but what we're getting in the trade deals lock in new incentives to continue with business as usual," Hansen-Kuhn concludes."If we look at the renegotiated NAFTA, there's a new chapter on agricultural biotechnology that streamlines the process for approving both GMOs and products of gene editing.
One of the challenges to persuading governments to embrace these alternatives is corruption."There's a tremendous circle of corruption," he adds."We're talking here about the revolving door where public officials who negotiate these treaties then become private lawyers or counselors or board members of the corporations who are lobbying for their adoption. This corruption helps explain why governments sign these treaties even if they're going to be sued.
For example, after buttressing the fossil fuel status quo for three decades, the Energy Charter Treaty is no longer unassailable. In November, the German cabinetthat the country would withdraw from the ECT. It joins a number of European countries—Italy, France, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Slovenia, and Luxembourg—that have made similar announcements.
Karen Hansen-Kuhn agrees that it's necessary to claim victories."Civil society helped weaken the ISDS system," she notes."With the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, massive opposition to ISDS was a major reason it fell apart.."