Amid recent slowdown in global trade, 'green goods' are the winning ticket: UNCTAD.

Global trade slowed down in the second half of 2022, but demand for environmentally friendly goods stayed strong, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

UNCTAD's latest Global Trade Update said that trade in 'green goods', which use fewer resources and pollute less, grew by four per cent in the second half of the year, reaching a record $1.9 trillion in 2022.

'This is good news for the planet, as these goods are key to protecting the environment and fighting climate change,' said UNCTAD economist Alessandro Nicita, one of the report's authors.

Green goods that performed especially well in 2022 included electric and hybrid vehicles, non-plastic packaging and wind turbines.

The findings come days after the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned in its flagship report that greenhouse gas emissions needed to go down now, and be cut by almost half by 2030, if the goal of keeping temperatures from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels is to be achieved.

Overall, global trade was worth a record $32 trillion in 2022, but deteriorating economic conditions contributed to a downward trend in the second half of the year.

According to UNCTAD, the outlook for trade remains 'uncertain'; the UN body cited geopolitical tensions, high commodity prices and record levels of public debt combined with high interest rates, as reasons for concern. UNCTAD's forecast says global trade is set to stagnate in the first half of 2023.

In the second half of the year, however, 'positive factors' including a weaker US dollar - the main currency used in trade - stabilized shipping costs and fewer supply chain disruptions, could give trade a boost.

Despite global economic...