Trade and climate change are clearly among the most important economic and political issues facing the global community. Although it is generally agreed that the two areas are closely related, the nature and outcome of these linkages are still debatable. On the one hand, there is a view that trade can contribute negatively to the problem of climate change because of its impacts on the level of economic activities and the impact on international transport. On the other hand, there is also the contrary view that trade is not only helpful, but may even be necessary, for the development, diffusion and transfer of technologies which can help in the combat against climate change. To assist in the understanding of the nature of these complex interrelationships and to assess their overall impacts on the economy and the environment, especially with respect to the problem of climate change, it is important that we understand the theories behind these interrelationships and use the practical models which are built to represent these linkages in the analysis of climate change and trade policies. In this paper, we briefly refer to the essential elements underlying the theoretical linkages between trade, economic development, and climate change and review the analytical tools which are used to describe these linkages. We look specifically at a particular type of analytical tool called computable general equilibrium (CGE) models; consider their strengths and limitations when used as a tool for the analysis of these trade and climate change linkages. The paper finds that the tool have been more useful than ‘misused’, and this explains for the popularity of its use in the past. Looking to the future, to increase the usefulness of the tool in the area of policy analysis, there will need to be continuing training for the policy analysts in the modern and expanding techniques of CGE modelling. Such training will include not only the surveying and reading of the literature and understanding the basic theories but also ‘hands on’ experience on its practical applications. This survey paper therefore is only an important first step towards that ultimate direction.