Environment and Trade

Term Paper # 99616

Economics > International
Environmental Studies > Economics and Policy

This paper explores the links between trade, growth and sustainable development.

779 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper first discusses Jagdish Bhagwati's argument against environmental protections. Next, the paper looks at Herman Daly's belief that countries should be able to determine their own domestic policies and not be dependent on a world market for wealth development. The paper then examines Hilary French's discussion about the role of the WTO, the OECD policy paper on over-consumption and Lester Brown's analysis of the exploitation of natural resources worldwide. The writer disagrees with Bhagwati's intimation that imposing environmental protections is ultimately a moral issue. The writer is convinced that the future of human survival is dependant on dealing with the evidence that trade is dependent on environmental sustainability.

From the Paper:

"Bhagwati's first major argument is that trade enables countries to establish environmental controls based on the wealth brought by trade if they are encouraged to specialize (43). Wealth from trade, he contends, also results in ability for countries to import environmental technologies(Bhagwati, 43)."
"The demand for a level playing field in terms of environmental protections, Bhagwati argues, is ignorant of the fact that different countries have differing domestic concerns although may share a common goal (44). Furthermore, that imposing North American values onto other countries may result in trade interruptions undermining the trade system (Bhagwati, 46)."

Sample of Sources Used:

Bhagwati, Jagdish. "The Case for Free Trade. Debate: Does Free Trade Harm the Environment." Scientific American. November 1993: 41-57.
Brown, Lester R.. "The Future of Growth." State of World 1998. Washington DC: Worldwatch Institute. (1998): 184-202.
Daly, Herman. "Perils of Free Trade. Debate: Does Free Trade Harm the Environment." Scientific American. November 1993: 41-57.
French, Hilary. 2000, "Coping with Ecological Globalization." State of the World 2000. Washington DC: Worldwatch Institute. (2000): 189-194.
OECD. "Sustainable Development: Critical Issues." Policy Brief. Paris: Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development September 2001.