Trade and Atmospheric Protection at Stockholm+50: Plus ça Change?

This chapter takes stock of the evolution of the trade-environment nexus, focusing on the legal protection of the atmosphere. It offers a brief historical overview of the trade-environment debate, zooming in on the 1972 Stockholm Conference. It then discusses the rationale, functioning and legality of (1) multilateral trade measures incorporated in the Montreal Protocol on stratospheric ozone depletion; and (2) unilateral trade measures adopted with a view to protecting the climate. The main conclusion is that while much has changed since the Stockholm Conference-with new international legal regimes coming into being, and many more trade-related environmental measures being adopted-some things have stayed the same, with North-South tensions continuing to form the main backdrop for trade-environment interactions, and continuing uncertainty about where these interactions should be addressed.