BRICS Environment Ministers Oppose EU Carbon Border Tax

BRICS countries issued a joint statement on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, opposing the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanisms (CBAMs). The position was adopted during the 12th BRICS Environment Ministers' Meeting in New Delhi, held under the chairship of India. The ministers described the climate measures as unilateral, punitive, discriminatory, and protectionist, stating that such measures could undermine the efforts of developing countries to build resilience and address climate change.

The EU's CBAM entered its definitive phase on January 1 of this year. The mechanism requires importers of electricity, hydrogen, fertilisers, cement, aluminium, and iron and steel to account for carbon emissions associated with production. While the EU states the measure prevents carbon leakage by stopping the shift of carbon intensive production outside the bloc, BRICS nations argue against its implementation. India is particularly exposed to the mechanism because iron and steel account for approximately 90 percent of its exports to the EU that fall within the CBAM framework.

Beyond the carbon tax, the ministers called for an urgent increase in adaptation finance from developed countries. They urged developed nations to meet a 2025 UN climate conference commitment to triple adaptation finance to developing countries by 2035. The statement emphasized that this support should be provided through grants and concessional finance to avoid increasing financial vulnerabilities. This demand comes ahead of the COP31 UN climate conference in Turkey this November, following unresolved finance negotiations at the June climate talks in Bonn.