HILT CRC public webinar: Principles for embedded emissions accounting to support trade-related climate policy

Principles for embedded emissions accounting to support trade-related climate policy

Public webinar presented by Associate Professor Emma Aisbett, Australian National University

As the world transitions to net zero, governments around the world are rapidly introducing policies targeting emissions embodied in these traded products.

To support these policies, governments are investing in the development of public embedded emissions accounting frameworks, known as EEFs. The Australian Government’s ‘Guarantee of Origin’ scheme is a world-leading example.

While EEFs have enormous potential to support the transition to a net-zero global economy, they equally have the potential to inhibit trade, slow the transition, and have a disproportionate impact on developing countries – both through their design, and through potential incompatibilities between accounting developed in different jurisdictions. Our research has identified a set of eight design principles for EEFs to be compatible with both international trade law and climate change mitigation regimes.

Associate Professor Emma Aisbett, ANU College of Law, Governance and Policy, and Associate Director (Research), ANU Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific

Emma Aisbett is an Associate Professor at the School of Law and Associate Director (Research) for ANU Grand Challenge – Zero-Carbon Energy for the Asia-Pacific. Emma’s previous research spans economic globalisation, environmental policy, developing countries and political economy. She is best known for her work on international investment agreements where she has influenced both academic debate and policy. On this topic Emma has been an invited expert at both the OECD and the UN Commission on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). She is also an approved supplier of policy advice to developing countries through the UK Government’s TAF2+ initiative.

Emma’s current research centres on trade-related climate policy and international green industrial policy, with a focus on embedded emissions accounting frameworks, certification and international green-economy collaborations. Her transdisciplinary approach combines expertise and collaboration across both disciplines and sectors. Recent collaborations include Australian Government and industry, as well as international organisations including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

In 2021 Emma was awarded the prestigious John H Jackson Prize for most significantly breaking new ground and adding new insights to the study and understanding of international economic law. She is also a member of the ARC College of Experts and was a judge of the 2024 Australian Eureka Prize for Sustainability Research.