In this policy brief written against the backdrop of current G20 discussions, CIGI Distinguished Fellow John Whalley and Professor Simon Evenett argue that "green" protectionist actions by industrialized countries reduce the likelihood of a successful deal at the UN-sponsored global climate change talks at Copenhagen in December 2009. The brief provides an overview of “murky” green protectionism that is gaining ground in some G20 countries in response to the global economic crisis. The authors argue that trading partners in other regions fear that the discretion abused in existing national environmental regulations will be abused again when industrialized countries implement border tax adjustments, carbon taxes or permit allocation schemes to mitigate climate change.