Taking Stock 2000
Each year, thousands of facilities across North America publicly report on the amounts of certain hazardous chemicals that they release to the air, water and land, or transfer off-site for further management. This information is compiled in what are internationally known as pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs)— databases managed by governments as a means of ensuring that the public has access to information on chemicals being released and transferred into and through their communities.
Comparative Standards for Intensive Livestock Operations in Canada, Mexico, and the United States
Livestock farming has been transformed in the past twenty years from a business dominated by relatively small producers to one characterized by large, often indoor, facilities raising thousands of animals. This concentration has already occurred in the United States and Canada and has begun to occur in Mexico. This report surveys the current environmental requirements […]
Feasibility Study for the Development of Indicators of Children’s Health and the Environment in North America
The purpose of this project is to assess the feasibility of assembling a set of indicators of children’s health and the environment for North America including Canada, Mexico and the United States, with publication of a first report on the state of children’s health and the environment scheduled for 2004. While it is recognized that […]
Some Domestic Environmental Effects of U.S. Agricultural Adjustments Under Liberalized Trade
This paper evaluates some of the environmental impacts on the U.S. of a trade liberalization scenario involving the elimination of all agricultural policy distortions (i.e., agricultural subsidies and tariffs) that were in place in the year 2000 in all trading countries (and no changes in environmental policies relative to 2000). This empirical simulation of a […]
Strategic Plan for North American Cooperation in the Conservation of Biodiversity
Aware that biodiversity conservation is a complex issue being dealt with by a number of organizations, and in response to the recommendations made by the 1997 “” that required the CEC to have a strategic vision of its contribution to sustainable development in North America, the Council decided that a biodiversity strategy tailored to CEC’s unique features should be prepared.
The Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Trade Liberalization on Basic Grains in the Context of NAFTA
Los efectos de la liberalización agrícola y comercial impulsadas como eje de la modernización del campo desde 1989 y los compromisos del TLCAN (1994), provocaron el aumento de las importaciones de los granos básicos, cambios en el patrón de cultivos, disminución de la rentabilidad de los productos. La liberalización agrícola ha permitido el fortalecimiento de […]
NAFTA and Conservation of Maize Diversity in Mexico
Ever since negotiations for a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) got under way, its effect on the Mexican maize sector and the conservation of maize diversity has been a subject of debate. Our purpose in this paper is to look back at this debate and compare the facts and the forecasts.
The Conflicting Economic and Environmental Logics of North American Governance
NAFTA promised the development of a green economy throughout North America. Provisions against downward harmonization, the respect for state autonomy in environmental regulation, and the creation of the Commission for Environmental Co-operation gave hope to North Americans that an environmentally sustainable trade regime was possible.
Open Trade With the US Without Compromising Canada’s Ability to Comply With Its Kyoto Target
The U.S. and Canada are two important partners of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Canada, together with most industrialized countries, has ratified the Kyoto Protocol and begins implementing domestic policy measures aimed at meeting its legally binding Kyoto emissions target.
The Economic and Environmental Impacts of Agricultural Subsidies
International trade policies and government intervention through subsidies and indirect forms of support influence agricultural production choices such as type of crop or livestock, mode (technology and inputs), and quantity. Such trends can result in global effects in trade level, industry structure, and production location, which in turn may affect the state of the environment. Recently, the adoption of the US Farm Bill and the launch of negotiations on agriculture in the Doha Round has brought the issue of agricultural subsidies to the forefront of trade policy discussions.
Agricultural Trade Liberalization and the Environment in North America
The two most important regional or multilateral trade liberalization agreements in agriculture thus far, the Uruguay Round Agreement and the North American Free Trade Agreement have now been implemented for eight and nine years, respectively.
Energy Use in the Cement Industry in North America
This paper examines issues related to the use of energy inputs in the manufacture of cement clinker and cement in Mexico, Canada and the US since implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994.