The Greening of NAFTA: Implications for Continental Environmental Cooperation in North America

Abstract

When ratified, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) will create the world's largest trading bloc with 360 million consumers and $6 trillion in annual output. Yet the prospect of NAFTA has raised environmental questions never before addressed in the negotiation of any bilateral or multilateral trade agreement. Through NAFTA's "green" provisions, a number of specific environmental and health concerns are being addressed. Additionally, a variety of NAFTA "parallel track" initiatives are underway, including the establishment of the North American Commission on the Environment (NACE). Recognizing the growing global commitment to sustainable development in today's post-UNCED era, the creation of NACE and the green provisions of the NAFTA represent an historic effort toward environmental protection across the North American continent.