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"...to say that no nation may act to protect its forests without being subject to sanctions by the WTO is outrageous and should be taken off the table in Seattle." -- Carl Pope, Executive Director, Sierra Club 
On November 30, 1999, President Clinton will host thousands of trade officials from more than 150 countries for a summit of the World Trade Organization (WTO) -- the biggest international trade meeting ever on American soil. The WTO was established in 1995 to promote global trade -- but increasingly it does so at the expense of forest protection at home and around the world. Trees and Jobs are Lost President Clinton plans to join other world leaders in signing a "free logging" agreement at the summit The agreement would increase clearcut logging in some of the world's most fragile ancient forests to benefit a handful of giant, transnational timber corporations. The "free logging" agreement would eliminate tariffs -- or border taxes -- on forest products worldwide. Prices for forest products will drop, so consumption and logging will rise. As demand for wood grows in the United States, we jeopardize the world's last, great ancient forests. For instance, British Columbia, Canada, home to much of the world's last remaining ancient temperate rainforest, now exports half of its timber to the United States. The "free logging" agreement would increase the pace of forest destruction in British Columbia, and around the world, just to supply the US market. Currently, raw logs from state and federal lands in the Pacific Northwest cannot be exported. This keeps wood processing jobs at home and reduces pressure to cut more trees. But in exchange for signing the "free logging" agreement, Japan insists that the United States must lift its ban on raw log exports. The Pacific Northwest would then have to export more of its precious forest heritage and many US jobs would be lost. Corporations Escape Responsibility In Seattle, trade negotiators could also launch new talks designed to increase the global movement of investment -- including the mills and timber concessions vital to the logging industry. Without strong environmental safeguards in place, however, greater investment mobility will set free transnational timber companies to ravage the world's forests -- and the communities that depend on those forests for survival. In addition, the Clinton administration is proposing that the WTO adopt new principles in Seattle to govern eco-labeling -- an important tool for informing customers whether wood products come from well-managed forests. The administration's principles would allow the WTO to decide what consumers can know about wood products. If the administration has its way, environmentalists could lose a promising new tool for empowering consumers in the fight for global forest protection. Independent, third party eco-labeling programs, that encourage consumers to use their purchasing power to protect forests, could be lost. New threats to forests that may emerge from Seattle are not the only concern of the Sierra Club. There are already WTO rules on the books that pose a major challenge to forest protection. Governments Can't Go Green The WTO already compromises the right of local, state, and federal governments to use their procurement practices to promote social values, including forest protection. Under the WTO's procurement rules, governments are not permitted to consider such factors has whether a piece of wood was cut from a rapidly disappearing rainforest or whether paper contains recycled content when purchasing materials. Already, "green procurement" legislation in New York was defeated after timber industry representatives charged that the legislation was illegal under the WTO. Dangerous Pests Invade As international trade grows, more and more invasive forest pests hitchhike from place to place on raw logs, on wood products such as railroad ties, and in wood crates and pallets. Lacking natural enemies, imported pests can cause enormous damage. In the past, pest invaders wiped out the American chestnut, the American elm, and the white pine. A rising tide of imported insects, such as the Asian long-horned beetle and the Asian gypsy moth, and new fungal diseases threaten to devastate trees in our nation's forests, our cities' parks, and our own front yards. The US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the federal agency in charge of pest control, recently stated that it cannot implement the strong, precautionary safeguards necessary to stop invasive forest pests because doing so would violate WTO rules. Make Trade Clean, Green, and Fair! A responsible trade policy would open markets and protect our natural heritage. To make trade clean, green, and fair, Sierra Club is urging the Clinton administration to take executive action to:
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