Environmental Update Main Responsible Trade Main Trade Agreements Trade Reports World Trade Organization Solutions Campaigns Take Action News Factsheets Links & Resources     Search the Trade pages Archives Environmental news, green living tips, and ways to take action: Subscribe to the Sierra Club Insider!

Stop the Beetle Invasion! Make Trade Clean, Green and Fair "...bioinvasion is the dark side of globalization." -- Business Week, May 24, 1999 Rampant growth of global trade has increased the numbers of exotic pests that hitchhike into the country on imported goods, in ship ballast water, and in cargo holds. Exotics species that out-compete native species exact a growing cost on our health, our natural heritage, and even our homes. But new trade agreements prevent regulators from stopping these pests at our borders. Asian Long-Horned Beetles An invasion of the Asian long-horned beetle has devastated shady, tree-lined streets in Chicago and New York City. Thousands of trees have been chopped down and burned to stop this "alien invader." Already detected at 29 other sites around the country, the beetle could cause more than $41 billion in damage to our neighborhoods, parks, and forests if it spreads. The US maple syrup industry could be wiped out because of the beetle’s special attraction to sugar maples. A Looming Threat The Asian beetle is just one of the many exotic pest invaders that hitchhike into the country on imported goods. For instance: Logs imported from Siberia carry a fungus capable of devastating the Douglas fir, the dominant tree species of the Pacific Northwest. The medfly, imported on fruit from South America, could severely damage Florida’s $3.6 billion citrus industry. The Formosan termite has caused more property damage in New Orleans in the last ten years than hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods combined. Invasive pests are the second leading cause of species extinction nationally and cost the US economy $138 billion annually in lost crops, denuded forests, and property damage. America, of course, also exports invasives. A US pest is now destroying native pines in Japan. Handcuffing Environmental Safety The Clinton Administration’s careless free trade policies are partly to blame for the growing risks. The World Trade Organization (WTO), established in 1995, and other trade agreements have helped drive up imports by 50 percent since 1990. So more and more destructive pests hitchhike into the country. The WTO then adds insult to injury by pressuring governments to prioritize trade over health and the environment. The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) pleads that trade rules prevent it from taking tough, preventive steps to stop invasive pests at our borders. Since the WTO was established, APHIS has issued a sweeping series of new regulations allowing the import of goods known to carry pests that threaten our farms and forests. In a rare case when APHIS took decisive action and issued emergency rules to control the Asian long-horned beetle, Hong Kong immediately threatened to file a complaint with the WTO that could override the new safeguards. 9/20/99 Up to Top HOME | Email Signup | About Us | Contact Us | Terms of Use