Environmental Improvements without Environmental Policies

The document analyzes the impact of 1990s trade liberalization on Argentina's environment, finding a divergence between sectors. In manufacturing, liberalization did not shift the export pattern toward cleaner industries, though some firms improved management to reduce costs. In contrast, the agricultural sector in the Pampas region experienced a 'virtuous cycle' where growth and the adoption of technologies like direct sowing and GMOs led to environmental benefits, such as reduced soil erosion and carbon fixation, despite a lack of formal environmental policies.

• Trade liberalization in the 1990s did not result in a 'cleaner' pattern of manufactured exports for Argentina. High and medium-polluting sectors, which accounted for 72% of total manufactured exports in 1990, still represented 69% in 1997. For exports specifically to OECD countries, the weight of these polluting sectors actually increased from 68% to 76% over the same period.
• While the overall export pattern of manufactures remained polluting, some Argentine export firms improved their environmental management as a cost-reducing strategy. These improvements focused on the integral use of residues and resource inputs, though they remained below international standards and likely did not reduce absolute polluting emissions.
• The agricultural sector in the Pampas region saw significant growth and environmental improvement through the adoption of 'direct-sowing' techniques. This practice grew from 300,000 hectares in 1990/91 to 5.5 million hectares in 1997/8, helping to reconstitute soil organic matter and fix approximately 100 million metric tons of carbon equivalent.
• The adoption of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and specific herbicides like gliphosates in the Pampas is characterized as a positive externality. Gliphosates are described as environment-friendly because they are metabolized by plants without leaving soil residues, and GMOs are associated with a lower quantity of agrochemicals and negligible impact on water and soils.
• Despite the increase in agrochemical use, fertilizer application in the Pampas remained well below levels used in the US (114 kg/ha) and EU (209 kg/ha), with Argentina at 61 kg/ha in 1996.
• The document argues that the environmental improvements in the Pampas occurred parallel to the impoverishment of social and institutional fabrics, contradicting the common theory that poverty and environmental degradation are inextricably linked.

APA

Chudnovsky, D., Cap, E., Trigo, E., & Rubin, S. (1999). Environmental Improvements without Environmental Policies. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/xprt1990ssum_e.pdf

Chicago

Chudnovsky, Daniel, Eugenio Cap, Eduardo Trigo, and Sebastian Rubin. Environmental Improvements without Environmental Policies. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 1999. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/xprt1990ssum_e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chudnovsky |first1=Daniel |last2=Cap |first2=Eugenio |last3=Trigo |first3=Eduardo |last4=Rubin |first4=Sebastian |title=Environmental Improvements without Environmental Policies |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=1999 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/xprt1990ssum_e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chudnovsky1999environmental, author = {Chudnovsky, Daniel and Cap, Eugenio and Trigo, Eduardo and Rubin, Sebastian}, title = {{Environmental Improvements without Environmental Policies}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {1999}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/xprt1990ssum_e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }