Senior White House advisor John Podesta, who will replace John Kerry as the USA’s top climate envoy, has given a speech outlining the creation of a new task force focussed on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from global commerce and manufacturing.

While in the early stages, the idea of the task force is significant, as it appears aligned with the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which seeks to level the industrial playing field in trading by taxing high-GHG intensity imports. If such a system came to fruition, it would strongly strengthen the global ramifications of the EU CBAM, and may also encourage other developed nations to adopt congruent systems of their own. Mr Podesta said during his speech at an event at Colombia University that global “trading rules incentivize carbon leakage – when manufacturing-related emissions from a country with stronger climate policies shift to a country with weaker policies”.

As an example, he cited the fact that aluminium production in China typically emits 60% more GHG emissions than in the USA. According to Reuters, the task force will “ensure carbon emissions data is available for implementing U.S. climate and trade policies, including taking steps to promote common measurement and high standards on life cycle emissions,” doing so in dialogue with other nations.

One would assume that the creation of the task force will depend on the outcome of the presidential elections in November of this year, though the protectionism implied in the task force may appeal to both sides of politics.