BRICS nations oppose EU carbon border tax at the group's environment ministers’ meeting
The 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting, held in New Delhi, concluded with the consensual adoption of a Joint Ministerial Statement comprising four outcome documents
BRICS member states registered opposition to the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), calling it a unilateral trade measure that could disadvantage developing-economy exporters
The statement also covered cooperation on forest fires, land restoration, the circular economy, desertification, and climate adaptation, and called for greater international financial support for developing nations
The meeting fed into the broader BRICS agenda ahead of the BRICS Summit scheduled in New Delhi on 12-13 September 2026
EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)
CBAM is an EU tariff-style instrument that requires importers of carbon-intensive goods into the EU to purchase certificates matching the carbon price that would have been paid had the goods been produced under the EU's own carbon pricing regime (the EU Emissions Trading System). It is designed to prevent "carbon leakage" — production shifting to countries with weaker climate regulation — while equalising costs for EU domestic producers who already pay a carbon price.
Key Details
- Legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2023/956, adopted 10 May 2023, part of the EU's "Fit for 55" climate package
- Transitional phase (reporting-only, no payments): 1 October 2023 to 31 December 2025
- Definitive phase (certificate purchase becomes mandatory) began 1 January 2026; first surrender of CBAM certificates falls in 2027, covering embedded emissions of 2026 imports
- Sectors covered: iron and steel, cement, aluminium, fertilizers, hydrogen, and electricity; a proposed 2028 expansion would add steel/aluminium-intensive downstream goods
- Declarants must hold certificates covering at least 50% of embedded emissions accumulated by end of each quarter from 2027 (a threshold recently eased from a stricter proposal)
CBAM directly affects BRICS exporters — especially India's and China's steel and aluminium sectors — as their exports to the EU will now carry an implicit carbon tariff once the definitive phase applies from 2026, making this the trigger for the joint BRICS opposition.
CBDR-RC — Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities
CBDR-RC is a foundational principle of international climate governance holding that all countries share responsibility for addressing climate change, but developed countries — having contributed disproportionately to historical emissions — bear a greater responsibility and must provide finance and technology support to developing countries. BRICS nations argue CBAM violates this principle by imposing uniform carbon costs regardless of a country's development stage or historical emissions contribution.
Key Details
- CBDR-RC is codified in Article 3.1 of the UNFCCC (1992) and reaffirmed in the Paris Agreement (2015, Article 2.2)
- Developing countries argue CBAM is a unilateral trade-restrictive measure that bypasses the UNFCCC's multilateral, negotiated approach to differentiated climate obligations
- The concern echoes long-standing developing-country objections at WTO and UNFCCC forums to "green protectionism"
The BRICS statement frames CBAM as inconsistent with CBDR-RC because it applies a flat carbon cost to all exporters, ignoring that developing economies were allowed less time and fewer resources to decarbonise under the UNFCCC framework.
BRICS as a Grouping — Composition and 2026 Expansion Context
BRICS, originally an acronym for Brazil, Russia, India, China (2009) with South Africa added in 2010, expanded further in January 2024 to add Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, and again in January 2025 with Indonesia — making it an 11-member bloc by 2026, alongside a set of "Partner Countries" (including Belarus, Nigeria, Vietnam) added through 2025.
Key Details
- India holds the BRICS chairship in 2026, hosting the New Delhi Summit on 12-13 September 2026 under the theme centred on resilience, innovation, cooperation and sustainability
- BRICS collectively represents a large share of global population, GDP (PPP), and — relevant here — global trade exposed to instruments like CBAM
- The bloc has no binding dispute-settlement mechanism like the WTO; its statements are political/diplomatic rather than legally enforceable
As 2026 chair, India used the Environment Ministers' platform to build unified BRICS pressure against CBAM ahead of the September Summit, where trade and climate finance are listed agenda items.
- CBAM legal basis: Regulation (EU) 2023/956, adopted 10 May 2023
- CBAM definitive (payment) phase began: 1 January 2026; first certificate surrender: 2027
- CBAM-covered sectors: iron & steel, cement, aluminium, fertilizers, hydrogen, electricity (six sectors)
- BRICS membership as of 2026: 11 full members (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Indonesia)
- CBDR-RC codified in UNFCCC Article 3.1 (1992) and Paris Agreement Article 2.2 (2015)
- BRICS Summit 2026: New Delhi, 12-13 September, under India's chairship
- 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting: concluded 18 August 2026, New Delhi