'Unilateral, Punitive And Discriminatory Protectionist Measures': BRICS Rejects European Union's Carbon Border Taxes

BRICS nations have condemned and rejected the European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and similar trade restrictions, arguing these undermine their transition to a cleaner economy, reported The Indian Express.

CBAM is an import duty on goods from countries with higher emissions than EU standards, making products like Indian steel and cement costlier and less competitive in Europe.

Developing countries, including India and China, call CBAM a unilateral and unfair trade barrier that violates international trade and climate agreements.

At the summit in Rio de Janeiro, BRICS issued a statement: “We reject unilateral, punitive and discriminatory, protectionist measures that are not in line with international law, under the pretext of environmental concerns, such as unilateral and discriminatory carbon border adjustment mechanisms (CBAMs), due diligence requirements with detrimental impacts on global efforts to halt and reverse deforestation, taxes and other measures…".

The EU argues CBAM “puts a fair price on carbon” to encourage cleaner production outside Europe.

Importers will buy carbon certificates matching EU carbon prices, with deductions if producers can prove they paid a carbon price at home.

The policy aims to curb “carbon leakage,” where industries move to countries with looser emission rules.

However, developing nations see it as violating the Paris Agreement’s principle of protecting them from the impacts of “response measures” against climate change.

They also argue CBAM overlooks the differentiation built into global climate commitments.

Countries like India, China, Brazil, and South Africa have consistently opposed CBAM at international climate meetings, calling for solidarity against what they view as unfair responsibility-shifting.

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