Claus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) said UNEP is ready, willing and able to strengthen
collaboration with WTO. Toepfer said UNEP will be gathering essential
data on the environmental consequences of international economic policies.
He said that, "Many countries have identified, for example, environmental
and trade benefits of removing price-distorting subsidies. The environmental
costs of these distortions are now known to be staggering." He added that,
experts estimate that these inefficient policies cost society over US$20
billion
dollars in fishing subsidies; over $300 billion in energy subsidies and over
$350 billion in agricultural subsidies." The energy subsidies alone result
in
excessive energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and result in
major
environmental problems ranging from oil spills to gas emissions from well
head extractions.