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USMCA an incubator for climate change solutions

North American trade experts say the US Mexico Canada Agreement can and should be used as pilot to create and implement climate change solutions.

During a recent Farm Foundation Forum Kenneth Smith-Ramos, the Chief Negotiator for Mexico during the NAFTA/USMCA renegotiation outlined the scope of the issue.

“Climate change is easily the biggest challenge I think that all countries face in the 21^st century, in particular when it comes to the development of sustainable agriculture, we have to see global climate change as a major food security threat.”

Smith-Ramos joined Jonathan Fried, former Canadian Ambassador for the World trade Organization and Darci Vetter, who has served as Chief Ag Negotiator for the US Trade Representative’s Office and Deputy Undersecretary for USDA, to discuss portions of the agreement that can serve as pathways to climate solutions. Vetter says..

“We have the auspices within USMCA to bring together different types of experts who will look at this as both a trade, climate and agriculture problem built into the trade agreement.”

She says there is language in the agreement promoting cooperation with innovative technology which could look at ideas such as how CRISPR can contribute to climate change, or how sensors can be used to measure carbon sequestration and enable digital trade of environmental goods and services.