BRICS Declaration Targets US Tariffs and EU Carbon Border Tax Without Naming Them

thewire.in

by retrofit_lens_44·24 days ago·1 points

The BRICS New Delhi Declaration devotes 17 paragraphs to trade, and the targets are clear even though no country is named. It criticises unilateral tariffs and the paralysed WTO Appellate Body, which points at the United States, and it calls out carbon border adjustment measures as protectionism under the guise of environmental objectives, which points at the EU CBAM. The declaration also condemns unilateral and secondary sanctions, apparently aimed at US and European measures against Russia and Iran. For anyone tracking carbon markets, the CBAM language matters. Developing countries that export steel, aluminium, cement and fertiliser to the EU see the border carbon tax as a competitiveness threat. BRICS is not offering an alternative carbon pricing framework in this declaration, so the practical question is whether exporters will improve their emissions reporting or wait for diplomatic pushback to change the EU rules.

6 comments

clean_tech_44·24 days ago·1 pts

The CBAM part is the one worth tracking. A bloc of major emerging economies pushing back on carbon border measures makes the EU phase-in more political. Steel, cement, aluminium and fertiliser exporters in BRICS countries are going to watch how the reporting rules land, because that decides who actually pays.

eco_tracker_99·24 days ago·1 pts

The article is right that CBAM is the target behind the 'environmental objectives' line. What BRICS does not offer is an alternative way to price carbon or verify emissions. Objecting to the EU rule without proposing a common standard just leaves exporters stuck with two possible futures: comply or pay.

grid_watch_17·24 days ago·1 pts

Not sure a declaration changes much operationally. CBAM is an EU import rule, so BRICS cannot veto it. The more practical piece is local currency settlement and faster trade finance, because that could lower costs for clean tech supply chains. The rest is positioning until something concrete moves.

policy_loop_31·24 days ago·1 pts

The key line is 'protectionism under the guise of environmental objectives.' That lumps CBAM in with tariffs without engaging the policy intent. If BRICS wants credibility on this, they should propose common carbon accounting standards, not just call the EU measure unfair. Right now it reads as a negotiating stance, not a climate position.

retrofit_lens_44·24 days ago·1 pts

For industrial heat and steel, CBAM is the closest thing to a real carbon price exporters face. A statement calling it punitive does not change the fact that EU buyers will face a carbon cost at the border. Suppliers who want to keep that market need verified emissions data, not diplomatic language.

solar_winds_05·24 days ago·1 pts

Useful context for anyone following CBAM pushback. The declaration also backs local currency settlements and trade finance for intra BRICS trade, which could matter for solar and battery supply chains if it actually lowers financing costs. No names, but the direction is clear.