The North American Free Trade Agreement (“NAFTA”) entered into force in 1994 between the US, Canada and Mexico is generally acknowledged to be the first major preferential trade agreement (PTA) comprehensively addressing environmental issues. During the G20 summit, NAFTA has been superseded by the recently negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (“USMCA“).
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We keep you updated on environmental issues in international trade agreements. Learn more about trends in trade, case studies on specific PTA and insights into the TREND web tool.
On 13 September, the Green Growth Knowledge Platform (GGKP) organises a webinar on resources and tools designed to help drive forward sustainable trade.
While it is common to oppose trade objectives to environmental concerns, it is equally common to oppose multilateralism to bilateralism. However, these dichotomies are not inevitable. Bilateral trade agreements can serve the purpose of multilateral environmental agreements.
Recently, the European Union (EU) announced that all its future preferential trade agreements (PTAs) need to include a reference to the ratification and implementation of the Paris Climate Agreement, starting with the trade agreement concluded last year between the EU and Japan. Indeed, the EU-Japan Economic Partnership includes a reaffirmation of the commitment to implement […]
Multilateral negotiations on climate change are slow and often disappointing. Accordingly, policy and scholarly attention has been diverted towards climate-policy developments elsewhere. Many have explored the progress made by regional governments, city networks, and transnational partnerships in tackling climate change. Yet, the potential contribution of trade agreements to climate governance remains underexplored.