Trade Liberalization and the Porter Effect
Does trade liberalization make the environment dirtier or cleaner? Theory suggests the possibility of both. Copeland and Taylor’s (2003) composition effect changes the mix of goods produced either according to comparative advantage, or due to foreign factor inflows, particularly capital. The composition effect may or may not cause degradation of the environment in the country […]
Scale, Technique and Composition Effect in the Mexican Agricultural Sector
This paper contributes to the small, but growing, literature that aims to explore the environmental impacts in the agricultural sector in Mexico during the post NAFTA period – both among Industrialized and Communal (ejido) farmers – as well as the influence of the national and multilateral institutional framework on these outcomes.
Opportunities and Barriers for Renewable Energy in NAFTA
This paper provides an overview and perspective of both the renewable energy industry in North America and governmental measures in the NAFTA countries to support renewables. The paper goes on to examine the law of the North American Free Trade Agreement [NAFTA] and applicable GATT/WTO provisions with a view to considering whether NAFTA creates obstacles […]
Successful Practices of Environmental Management Systems in Small and Medium-Size Enterprises
This report examines the use of environmental management systems (EMSs) in small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in Canada, Mexico and the United States. In doing so, it provides a North American perspective on successful practices and some of the issues faced by SMEs in developing and implementing these systems. It also offers some suggestions for […]
Business Environmental Decisions in the Context of the Free Trade Agreement
This work seeks to analyze the dynamics of environmental spending and changes in companies’ profiles following NAFTA and factors that have negatively or positively affected their environmental behavior.
The Effect of NAFTA on Energy and Environmental Efficiency in Mexico
In this paper, I ask whether entry into NAFTA has made Mexico more or less like the United States and Canada in terms of pollution per capita and per dollar of GDP; what has happened to the trends in the various indicators; and what the consequent effects on environmental quality have been. Energy use and […]
Defining Environmental Goods and Services
Commitments undertaken in diverse international fora support the liberalisation and market expansion of the environmental goods and services (EGS) sector as a strategy worth exploring to support the pursuit of sustainable development. Among these commitments, the mandate in Paragraph 31(iii) of the Doha Ministerial Declaration of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) calls for negotiations to reduce or, as appropriate, eliminate tariff and non-tariff barriers for trade in EGS. However, implementing such a strategy poses major challenges. Moreover, despite some attempts undertaken in recent years, the international community has yet to reach a consensus on suitable approaches to defining and classifying the EGS market.
The Maquiladora Electronics Industry and the Environment Along Mexico’s Northern Border
This paper intends to draw attention on the importance of dealing with the environmental problems of the electronics assembly industry in Mexico. The reasons for this concern are motivated by the vulnerable environmental conditions in which these enterprises are set up, particularly those located in the northern Mexican border region, the potentially negative effects on […]
Illegal Trade in Wildlife
In North America, we share a rich environmental heritage that includes air, oceans and rivers, mountains and forests. Together, these elements form the basis of a complex network of ecosystems that sustains our livelihoods and well-being. If these ecosystems are to continue to be a source of life and prosperity, they must be protected. Doing so is a responsibility shared by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Proyecto Administración Ambiental Monterrey (PAAM)
PAAM was a supply chain environmental management project targeting small business suppliers to large Mexican companies in Monterrey. Its primary objective was to train the SMEs in the use and application of a modified environmental management system (EMS) based on the ISO 14001 model.