tande_global_1997-fb6c9a157bf76692.pdf

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the conflict between international trade policy and environmental protection, arguing that the World Trade Organization (WTO) typically prioritizes trade over the environment. The authors critique the U.S. government for abdicating its leadership in this area and propose a new foreign policy agenda that integrates environmental protection and worker rights into trade agreements, specifically regarding NAFTA and the proposed Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

• Environmentalists argue that trade expansion can lead to economic growth that exceeds the political will and institutional capacity to manage environmental impacts. They contend that trade can distort growth in developing countries by promoting unsustainable production patterns, such as replacing diverse agriculture with export-oriented monocultures or depleting natural capital like minerals and timber.
• The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) regulate global trade. While GATT allows exceptions for measures necessary to protect human, animal, or plant life, or for conserving exhaustible natural resources, the WTO's trade orientation typically results in trade rules taking precedence over environmental protection.
• The U.S. government is criticized for failing to promote environmental interests in trade-related issues since the adoption of the NAFTA environmental side agreement. Instead, the U.S. Trade Representative has focused on protecting U.S. business interests against environmental policies, exemplified by the fact that only business sector representatives were invited to the U.S.-European Union bilateral negotiations on ecolabeling.
• The WTO's Committee on Trade and Environment (CTE) is described as having made little progress over two years on issues such as ecolabeling, public participation, and the review of trade-related environmental measures in multilateral agreements.
• Several U.S. environmental laws have been challenged at the WTO/GATT, including laws regarding dolphin protection in tuna fishing, automobile fuel-efficiency standards, and standards for reformulated gasoline and oil. In these cases, significant provisions were found inconsistent with GATT, and the disputes were decided by trade experts with minimal input from the public or environmental experts.
• The report suggests that the U.S. should condition its support for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) on countries strengthening their commitment to labor rights and environmental protection. It proposes a tiered approach using "readiness criteria" to allow countries time to establish regulatory systems without delaying trade expansion.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). tande_global_1997-fb6c9a157bf76692.pdf. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/TandE_Global_1997.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. tande_global_1997-fb6c9a157bf76692.pdf. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/TandE_Global_1997.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=tande_global_1997-fb6c9a157bf76692.pdf |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/TandE_Global_1997.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndtandeglobal1997fb6c9a157bf76692pdf, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{tande\_global\_1997-fb6c9a157bf76692.pdf}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/TandE_Global_1997.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }