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Unfortunately, current trade agreements do little to protect the environment. In trade agreements like the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) you will find nice-sounding, but non-binding language about protecting the environment. The main goal of these agreements is to make sure that corporations can maximize their profits, with as few obstacles as possible. As a result, environmental and public health laws and regulations have been under attack several times. It is time to change the course of our trade policies and make sure that we have trade that is safe, clean and fair. Instead, the Bush-administration is negotiating new trade agreements that continue along the same failed path as NAFTA and the WTO. They want to expand the failed NAFTA-model, first to Central America through the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), and then to the rest of the Hemisphere through the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The Sierra Club is not opposed to trade, but we want trade that is clean, green and fair. The current trade model represented by NAFTA and the WTO doesn't make the cut and instead we need a new direction for our trade agreements. Trade agreements should promote a higher quality of life for all, not simply serve as vehicles to increase corporate profits. We must learn our lessons from the failed trade agreements of the past and stake out a different course for the future, where peoples' lives and livelihoods are protected and respected.
photo from Digital Vision, used with permission. Up to Top |
Trade agreements are not just about cutting tariffs and quotas anymore. Instead they affect more and more areas of our lives, and have far-reaching implications for protecting our environment. Trade is integrally linked to more traditional environmental issues such our access to clean air, clean water and open spaces to enjoy.