Aaron Cosbey is a development economist with over 25 years of experience in the areas of trade, investment and sustainable development. His work cuts across a number of IISD program areas, with emphasis on climate change and energy, trade and investment law and policy, subsidies and green industrial policy.
Aaron is actively involved with many trade networks, including: Global Affairs Canada’s Environmental Assessment Advisory Group; the Green Growth Knowledge Network’s Trade and Competitiveness Research Committee; International Trade Canada's Market Access Advisory Group, as the Deputy Minister for International Trade’s Academic Advisory Council on Canadian Trade Policy; as the Canadian Minister for International Trade’s Environmental Sectoral Advisory Group on International Trade, where he chaired the SAGIT’s Working Group on the FTAA; the UN Tripartite Panel of Experts to the Second Preparatory Committee Meeting for Rio +20, the CEC’s Expert Panel on Environmental Impacts of NAFTA.
Aaron has also served on the Advisory Board of the International Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy, the Review Board of the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (Islamabad), and the Expert Group on Clean Energy and the Multilateral Trading System of ICTSD’s E15 initiative. He has acted as a consultant to a wide variety of governments and institutions on the issues of trade, investment and sustainable development, including the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Environment Canada, European University Institute, the Inter-American Development Bank, Canada’s National Round Table on Environment and Economy, the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme, UN Environment, UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the World Bank.
All Publications
- Seven ways new technology will impact the mining sector
Blog - July 5, 2019
More consultation, in-country study and analysis will be needed to determine the best policy options to address the challenges posed by new technology in the mining sector. - Local Content Policies in the Mining Sector: Scaling up local procurement
Report - April 24, 2019
This paper focuses on local procurement policies designed to boost the number of goods and services purchased by mining operations from local stakeholders. - Weighing up the Environmental Cooperation Agreement under the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement
Policy Brief - February 8, 2019
Trade agreements can have important environmental effects. We take a look at what’s old, what’s new and what’s noteworthy in the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement when it comes to the environment. - IGF Guidance for Governments: Local content policies
Guidebook - July 17, 2018
This new IGF guidance document aims to help resource-rich countries find more sustainable and inclusive economic solutions, fostering stronger linkages between mineral resources and the rest of the economy. - The Coming EVolution of Road Transport
Commentary - December 11, 2017
The transition to electric vehicles will cripple long-entrenched markets and create new ones; it will challenge economic and social systems to adapt at uncomfortable speeds and will be accompanied by significant shifts in geopolitical power and relations. - Message to Argentina: Inclusiveness makes better policy
Blog - December 11, 2017
Argentina just revoked the credentials of more than 60 civil society participants for the WTO’s 11th Ministerial Conference. Aaron Cosbey explains why this is a bad idea. - Investment Treaty News Quarterly (ITN), Volume 8, Issue 2, June 2017
Newsletter - June 15, 2017
Investment Treaty News is IISD’s flagship quarterly journal on international investment law and policy. - Can Investor-State Dispute Settlement Be Good for the Environment?
Commentary - April 18, 2017
Renewable energy investors have been using investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to fight cuts to subsidies in Europe, but this short-term gain may hinder states in their broader pursuit of environmental objectives like addressing climate change and pollution. - As U.S. and Canadian Climate Policies Diverge, How Do We Ensure Canada’s Competitiveness?
Blog - January 27, 2017
With relatively new administrations on both sides of the border, the United States and Canada have staked out opposing views on climate change. That has environmentalists and businesses worried. This has potentially damaging consequences for Canada’s trade competitiveness. - As Mines Become More Automated, What Happens to the Social Licence to Operate?
Blog - October 25, 2016
We recently examined the impact of this automation on local spending and employment. Our aim was to determine the impact on economic development in host states and, by extension, the mines’ social licence to operate. - Mining a Mirage? Reassessing the shared-value paradigm in light of the technological advances in the mining sector
Report - October 19, 2016
This report uses real-world mining data to estimate the impacts of new technologies on employment and employment-related procurement, which drive major benefits in host countries. - Fort McMurray Fires: A reminder that we need to prepare for the impacts of climate change
Blog - May 11, 2016
Fort McMurray can be a wake up call—a touchstone that reminds us how critically important it is to invest in preparing for (and even preventing) the next event, and all those that will follow. - Trans-Pacific Partnership's Environment Chapter: How does it measure up?
Blog - November 11, 2015
For trade policy junkies, Christmas this year arrived on November 5th. That’s the day the twelve Pacific Rim countries that had been... - IISD Expert Series: Aaron Cosbey
Video - February 26, 2015
Aaron Cosbey is an environmental economist specializing in the areas of trade and sustainable development, international environmental governance,... - Investment Treaty News Quarterly, Volume 6, Issue 1, February 2015
Newsletter - February 18, 2015
In this issue:State Regulatory Autonomy and Tobacco Control in International Trade and Investment Law; Political Change vs. Legal Stability:... - Public Consultation on Updating the Policy Framework for Investment: Submission by the International Institute for Sustainable Development
Commentary - December 31, 2014
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is updating its Policy Framework for Investment (PFI) to reflect new global... - Bilateral Investment Treaties, Mining and National Champions: Making it work
Paper - July 10, 2014
The past decade has seen a surge of national and regional efforts to re-envision the role of mining in East Africa and more broadly in Africa as a... - The Green Goods Agreement: Neither green nor good?
Commentary - February 4, 2014
In January 2014, 14 World Trade Organization members met on the sideline of a World Economic Forum meeting in Davos to launch talks aimed at... - Green Industrial Policy and the World Trading System
Paper - December 4, 2013
Drawing on the extensive industrial policy literature, this paper highlights some of the key lessons for policy makers considering adopting green... - The Cost of Carbon Pricing: Competitiveness implications for the mining and metals industry
Paper - May 17, 2013
This report, commissioned by the International Council for Mining and Metals (ICMM), assesses how best to develop carbon pricing policies that... - Competitiveness Implications for Mining and Metals
Paper - May 17, 2013
This paper, commissioned by the International Council on Mining and Metals, is an initial step in scoping out the links between carbon pricing... - A Guide for the Concerned: Guidance on the elaboration and implementation of border carbon adjustment
Paper - November 22, 2012
When governments take strong unilateral action on climate change, they will always consider border carbon adjustment (BCA) as a means to deal with... - Big Green Gaps: Our inability to tackle the messy issues at the interface of trade, development and the green economy
Paper - November 22, 2012
This address to UNCTAD's 49th Trade and Development Board explores what Rio + 20 failed to do: move us toward international consensus on what is... - International Public Finance for Climate-friendly Investment: Vehicles, availability, and governance
Paper - May 1, 2012
Sustainable development at its heart is an investment problem—a challenge to replace unsustainable infrastructure, productive technologies, and... - Investment Treaties and Why They Matter to Sustainable Development: Questions and answers
Book - December 22, 2011
This handbook focuses on international treaties that guarantee standards of treatment for foreign investors.Today, there are literally thousands of... - Agriculture and Trade in the Climate Change Negotiations
Paper - November 30, 2011
While there is widespread agreement on the potential benefits of bringing agriculture into an international climate change regime, a number of... - Agriculture in an International Climate Change Agreement
Paper - November 30, 2011
Agriculture's profile in the international climate change negotiations has grown, and there is increasing awareness of the importance of food... - TRI-CC Conference - Aaron Cosbey (2011)
Video - November 23, 2011
Cosbey discusses the similarity between the roots of the climate and trade multilateral impasses, the increasing urgency of climate change as... - Border Carbon Adjustments: What Risk for South African Exporters?
Paper - August 31, 2011
This policy brief, based on a longer analysis prepared by the IISD for South African Renewable Initiative, estimates the costs that would be borne... - Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication - Enabling Conditions Supporting the Transition to a Global Green Economy
Book - April 5, 2011
United Nations Environment Programme's Green Economy Initiative, in collaboration with economists and experts worldwide, compiled the book: ... - Environmental Goods and Services Negotiations at the WTO: Lessons from multilateral environmental agreements and ecolabels for breaking the impasse
Paper - August 25, 2010
This analysis looks for paths to progress in the WTO's stalled negotiations on environmental goods and services—a set of talks that is frequently... - Climate Change and International Investment Agreements: Obstacles or opportunities?
Paper - June 30, 2010
Climate change presents a challenge unprecedented in human history. In November 2007, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its... - Sustainable China Trade: A Conceptual Framework
Paper - June 26, 2010
Over the last 20 years, Chinese policy makers have been burdened with the proverbial curse: to live in interesting times. As described in the... - Border Carbon Adjustment: Questions and Answers (But More of the Former)
Paper - March 31, 2010
Those countries that are set to take strong action to address climate change will worry that their actions put their domestic industries at risk of... - China's Electrical Power Sector, Environmental Protection and Sustainable Trade
Paper - January 20, 2010
This paper considers China's electrical power sector and asks what changes the country might consider as part of a broader strategy to advance... - Options for Policy-Makers: Addressing Competitiveness, Leakage and Climate Change
Paper - December 5, 2009
This paper presents the options policy-makers have when addressing competitiveness and leakage relating to the mitigation of climate change. The... - A Sustainable Development Roadmap for the WTO
Book - November 17, 2009
The impasse in the Doha negotiations offers both grounds for concern about the current regime's model, and the breathing space in which to... - Border Carbon Adjustment and Free Allowances: Responding to Competitiveness and Leakage Concerns
Paper - November 10, 2009
Competitiveness and leakage concerns arise when countries implement climate change policies and measures (PAMs) that other countries do not, or... - Market Mechanisms for Sustainable Development in a Post-2012 Climate Regime: Implications for the Development Dividend
Paper - December 6, 2008
There is broad consensus in the international talks on a post-2012 climate change regime on the need for some perpetuation of the CDM—a market... - Embodied Carbon in Traded Goods
Paper - August 29, 2008
This paper looks at the concept of embodied carbon in traded goods, asking how it might change the ways in which we account for GHG emissions at... - Clean Energy Investment
Paper - August 29, 2008
This paper looks at ways to foster increased flows of investment, both domestic and foreign, into clean energy infrastructure and technologies in... - Border Carbon Adjustment
Paper - August 29, 2008
This paper looks at border carbon adjustment—a trade measure that has been proposed to address competitiveness and leakage concerns in conjunction... - Clean Energy Investment: Policymakers' Summary
Paper - August 21, 2008
This is a summary of a longer report (PDF - 1.1 mb), which synthesizes the lessons learned over a year's study of the barriers and opportunities... - Clean Energy Investment: Project synthesis report
Paper - August 21, 2008
This report synthesizes the lessons learned over a year's study of the barriers and opportunities for clean energy investment in developing... - Furthering EU Objectives on Climate Change and Clean Energy: Building Partnerships with Major Developing Economies
Book - April 12, 2008
The European Union has demonstrated resolve to remain at the forefront of global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but achieving the EU's... - Trade Policy Tools and Instruments for Addressing Climate Change and Sustainable Development
Paper - January 10, 2008
This paper was written as the second of a pair of background papers to the Trade Ministers' Dialogue on Climate Change Issues, held in conjunction... - Trade and Climate Change Linkages
Paper - January 10, 2008
This paper was written as the first of a pair of background papers to the Trade Ministers' Dialogue on Climate Change Issues, held in conjunction... - Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA): National Report for Lao PDR
Paper - December 10, 2007
This report presents the results of the Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA), which examines possible environmental impacts and... - Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA): National Report for Thailand
Paper - December 10, 2007
This report presents the results of the Rapid Trade and Environment Assessment (RTEA), which examines possible environmental impacts and... - Brave New Deal? Assessing the May 10th U.S. Bipartisan Compact on Free Trade Agreements
Commentary - August 16, 2007
On May 10 2007, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, powerful members of the newly-ascendant U.S.... - Market Mechanisms for Sustainable Development: How Do They Fit in the Various Post-2012 Climate Efforts?
Paper - July 17, 2007
This new report, developed under IISD's Development Dividend Project, takes a first step at understanding the implications of the various possible... - Trade and Environment: A Resource Book
Book - May 31, 2007
Trade and environment policy is increasingly intertwined and the stakes are nearly always high in both trade and environmental terms. These issues... - Climate Change, Competitiveness and Trade
Paper - May 23, 2007
From the outset the Kyoto Protocol and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change have had to contend with perceived tension between... - Climate Change and Foreign Policy: An exploration of options for greater integration
Book - March 9, 2007
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of this century. Increasing evidence of the impacts of climate change and that human actions are... - Which Way Forward? - Issues in developing an effective climate regime after 2012
Book - November 18, 2005
A post-2012 climate change regime will need to balance the diverse needs of all countries while striving to prevent the potentially serious... - International Investment Agreements and Sustainable Development: Achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Paper - November 3, 2005
This paper starts from the framework of the Millennium Development Goals, ... - Environmental Health and International Trade
Paper - July 15, 2005
This paper is aimed at fleshing out the various linkages that exist between trade policy (broadly defined to cover investment, intellectual... - Climate Change and Competitiveness: A Survey of the Issues
Paper - June 22, 2005
From the outset, the Kyoto Protocol and the UNFCCC have had to contend with perceived tension between effective action to slow climate change, and... - Sober Reflection: Considering the Rush to Regionalism
Paper - June 14, 2005
This paper asks whether the rush to regionalism in international trade and investment benefits developing countries. It argues that preferential... - Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries (Phase I Report) - Executive Summary
Paper - May 18, 2005
The CDM has a host of objectives not directly related to climate ... - Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries (Phase I Report)
Paper - May 18, 2005
The CDM has a host of objectives not directly related to climate ... - IISD Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable Development - Negotiators' Handbook
Book - April 27, 2005
The current model for International Investment Agreements (IIAs) was developed 50 years ago in a political and economic context that bears little... - IISD Model International Agreement on Investment for Sustainable Development
Paper - April 27, 2005
The current model for International Investment Agreements (IIAs) was developed 50 years ago in a political and economic context that bears little... - Advancing Sustainable Development in Canada: Policy issues and research needs
Book - January 27, 2005
In March 2003, the Government of Canada's Policy Research Initiative (PRI) commissioned the International Institute for Sustainable Development to... - The Rush to Regionalism: Sustainable Development and Regional/Bilateral Approaches to Trade and Investment Liberalization
Paper - January 12, 2005
This paper aims to set out the issues of importance in addressing the links ... - Comments on ICSID Discussion Paper, "Possible Improvements of the Framework for ICSID Arbitration"
Paper - December 15, 2004
IISD's Investment and Sustainable Development team has responded to a call for comments by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment... - A Nordic Research Agenda on Environment and Trade
Paper - November 20, 2004
This paper builds on a previous effort to craft a new research agenda on environment and trade: State of Trade and Environment Research: Building a... - State of Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda
Paper - November 20, 2004
This paper sets out a new research agenda on the issues of trade and environment. Based on a survey of over 300 research documents in the area... - A Capabilities Approach to Trade and Sustainable Development: Using Sen's Conception of Development to Re-examine the Debates
Book - November 16, 2004
This paper takes the thinking of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen and uses it to fashion a comprehensive new definition of sustainable development. It... - Lessons Learned on Trade and Sustainable Development
Book - June 19, 2004
This book distills the lessons from six years of research undertaken by and for the Trade Knowledge Network (1998 - 2004). It draws on in-country... - Investment and Sustainable Development: A Guide to the Use and Potential of International Investment Agreements
Book - May 26, 2004
This book looks at the role international investment agreements have, and might have, in fostering sustainable development. Such an analysis is... - New Views of Trade and Sustainable Development: Using Sen's Conception of Development to Re-examine the Debates - Full Report
Paper - April 29, 2004
This paper argues that the current trade and sustainable development debates use a concept of sustainable development that in effect assumes... - Taking the Doha Language Seriously: The WTO as if Sustainable Development Really Mattered
Paper - December 11, 2003
This paper, written for the Royal Institute of International Affairs conference: Sustainable Development in the New Trade Round: Trade, Investment... - Miami FTAA Results a Complete Wash
Commentary - December 9, 2003
In November 2003, 34 Trade Ministers from the western hemisphere gathered in Miami, Florida, to discuss the proposed Free Trade Area of the... - Foreign Investment: Making it Work for Sustainable Development
Paper - October 9, 2003
This paper, written for the IISD Eastern Europe project's capacity building workshops, defines foreign direct investment, and asks how developing... - NAFTA's Chapter 11 and the Environment: A Briefing Paper for the CEC's Joint Public Advisory Committee
Paper - October 9, 2003
This paper, commissioned by the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, surveys the problems identified to... - Investment, Doha and the WTO
Paper - August 16, 2003
This paper served as background to the IISD-RIIA Chatham House experts' meeting on investment, and the subsequent briefings in Geneva and Brussels.... - NAFTA's Chapter 11 and the Environment: A Discussion Paper for the CEC's Public Workshop on NAFTA's Chapter 11
Paper - August 16, 2003
This paper, commissioned by the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission for Environmental Cooperation's Chapter 11 session (Mexico City,... - The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO
Paper - November 26, 2002
This note is based on presentations and discussion at a seminar on The Kyoto Protocol and the WTO, jointly organized by the Royal Institute of... - Economy Report: Canada Trade and Environment Policy and Practice
Paper - January 28, 2002
The government of Canada's perspectives on the issues of trade and environment need to be understood in the context of the economy's strong... - A Forced Evolution? - The Codex Alimentarius Commission, Scientific Uncertainty and the Precautionary Principle
Paper - January 24, 2002
Once upon a time, the Codex Alimentarius Commission was an obscure scientific ... - Note on NAFTA Commission's July 31, 2001, Initiative to Clarify Chapter 11 Investment Provisions
Paper - January 11, 2002
On July 31 2001, the Trade Ministers of Canada, the United States and Mexico (the North American Free Trade Commission) announced that they had... - The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety: An Analysis on Results
Paper - January 4, 2002
Answers the following questions: How strong is the resulting Cartagena Protocol? ... - Beyond Regulation: Exporters and Voluntary
Book - October 6, 2001
This book is designed to help policy makers, exporters, environment managers and representatives of civil society better understand the... - Trade and Sustainable Development: A Survey of the Issues and a New Research Agenda
Book - October 4, 2001
Trade agreements are now becoming a very important element in the transition towards sustainable development. ...