PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP

This document contains the proceedings of a Trade and Sustainable Development Workshop held on 1-2 July 1999 in Midrand, South Africa. Hosted by the IUCN, the Group for Environmental Monitoring (GEM), and the Trade and Industrial Policy Secretariat (TIPS), and funded by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the workshop aimed to identify international and domestic trends, research focus areas, and strategic interventions for South Africa regarding the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other trade policy negotiations to promote sustainable development.

• The South African government faces challenges in WTO negotiations regarding the interface between trade and environment, specifically the risk of unilateral, protectionist measures disguised as environmental protection and the need to coordinate domestic agencies to maintain competitive advantage.
• Trade can have positive environmental effects by increasing national wealth, which allows citizens to demand higher environmental quality, and by fostering allocative, competitive, and imported efficiencies that reduce waste and resource use.
• Trade can negatively impact the environment through 'scale effects' (increased production leading to more waste), 'income effects' (wealthier populations consuming more wastefully), 'pollution haven effects' (industries relocating to avoid regulation), and 'regulatory chill' (governments avoiding strict laws to attract investment).
• Environmental concerns in trade can manifest as 'green protectionism,' where environmental laws are used to protect domestic industry, or 'eco-imperialism,' where developed countries dictate environmental standards (specifically Process and Production Method or PPM standards) to developing countries.
• The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol presents opportunities for technology transfer and efficiency gains, but critics argue it may award greater gains to those with 'dirtier' technology and fail to produce long-term behavior change.
• South African business responses to international trends are fragmented, with an overemphasis on ISO 14001 certification that may stifle local creativity and fail to link paper trails to actual environmental performance.
• Case studies of South African sectors show varying results: the citrus industry successfully adapted to buyer demands for reduced pesticide use without losing market share, while the coal and steel industries face looming, though currently hypothetical, threats from the Kyoto Protocol and energy-efficiency standards.
• The tourism sector in South Africa is highly reliant on the environment and faces pressures from foreign markets (particularly Germany) for social and environmental considerations, though it lacks a clear domestic strategy and awareness.
• Developing countries are encouraged to adopt a proactive rather than reactive strategy in trade and environment negotiations, using the principle of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' and leveraging the need for environment on the WTO agenda to demand technology transfer and capacity building.
• The Trade Knowledge Networks Project (TKNP) aims to build capacity in developing countries (including Argentina, China, Central America, Pakistan, South Africa, and Vietnam) to strengthen their voices in the WTO and improve domestic environmental management.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (1999). PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sa_tknmeetingreport.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP. 1999. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sa_tknmeetingreport.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP |date=1999 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sa_tknmeetingreport.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment1999proceedings, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{PROCEEDINGS OF THE TRADE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {1999}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sa_tknmeetingreport.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }