Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda

The report analyzes the state of trade and environment research, noting a significant volume of work but uneven distribution, with a particular lack of robust research from developing countries. It identifies a shift in focus from direct environmental impacts of trade toward institution building and regulatory effects. The proposed new research agenda emphasizes developing country needs, the proliferation of bilateral and regional agreements, regulatory reform of environmental policies, and specific WTO policy issues such as agriculture and technology transfer.

• A survey of 315 research items reveals that research is most heavily concentrated in institution building, specifically regional approaches to trade and environment and conflicts between trade rules and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), accounting for 32% of the research.
• Research from and about the Global South is underrepresented; while 30% of research focused on the South and 29% was authored by Southern researchers, these figures drop to 21% and 18% respectively if major commissioned projects are excluded.
• There is a notable gap in research specifically targeting negotiating options for the Doha mandate, with only 6.9% of surveyed research focusing on this area, and only 0.8% addressing the relationship between the WTO and MEAs.
• The report identifies a critical need for research into the environmental impacts of bilateral and regional trade agreements, noting that bilateral investment treaties (BITs) are having more significant consequences for the environment than previously expected.
• The proposed research agenda highlights the need for a new paradigm in agricultural negotiations that moves beyond lowering trade barriers to encompass food security, traditional knowledge, and environmental protection.
• The document argues for 'bigger picture' research into a balanced international agreement on investment that incorporates corporate responsibilities and the right of states to regulate, rather than focusing solely on investor protections.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2003). Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_state_of_trade_env_research.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda. 2003. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_state_of_trade_env_research.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda |date=December 2003 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_state_of_trade_env_research.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2003trade, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Trade and Environment Research: Building a New Research Agenda}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2003}, month = dec, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/trade_state_of_trade_env_research.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }