Border carbon adjustment agreements (BCAs) have recently been in the spotlight as the European Union agreed to apply this mechanism as of October 2023. Bringing together leading researchers on the topic, this project will examine the strengths and weaknesses of various BCA agreements. Its focus is on the potential of plurilateral agreements to increase climate-trade policy efficacy.

The research aims to respond to the following questions:

• • What kind of legal form should any plurilateral cooperation involving BCAs ideally take?
  • What are the strengths and weaknesses of potential forums for BCA development?
  • What should plurilateral engagement on BCAs look like?
  • What specific advice and recommendations can we make to policymakers to ensure that BCAs support global action on climate change?

This project is led and carried out by the following Climate Strategies members:

• Harro van Asselt (research lead) – Senior Research Fellow, Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), and Professor of Climate Law and Policy, University of Eastern Finland (UEF) Law School.
• Kasturi Das – Professor of Economics and Sustainability, Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, Delhi-NCR (IMTG), India.
• Susanne Droege – Senior Fellow, Global Issues Research Division at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Berlin, Germany.
• Michael Mehling – Deputy Director, MIT Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (MIT CEEPR), and Professor of Practice, University of Strathclyde Law School.

The research has received funding from the Global Challenges Foundation.