Conditions on the US-Mexico border are often so deplorable that
they seem "made for TV." Air and water pollution blighted northern
Mexican cities long before NAFTA was a glimmer on the political
horizon. Not surprisingly, when NAFTA became a political reality,
environmentalists reacted. They argued, among other things, that
commercial competition would weaken environmental standards in all
three countries, and that industrial growth in Mexico would further
damage its weak environmental infrastructure. The demands for
action against current and potential abuses posed a serious
obstacle to the completion of NAFTA negotiations. A side accord --
the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC)
-- helped alleviate some of these concerns. But in the aftermath of
NAFTA's economic success, poor living conditions persist in most of
Mexico. Many environmental groups blame NAFTA and, drawing on its
experience, now oppose new trade initiatives.
Does the NAFTA record on the environment since 1994 justify its
criticism? Seven years is too short to redress decades of
environmental abuse, but it is not too soon to assess NAFTA's
achievements and shortcomings in meeting its environmental
objectives. In this analysis, the authors review (1) the
environmental provisions of the NAFTA; (2) the NAAEC; (3) the
situation at the US-Mexican border; and (4) the trends in North
American environmental policy. They emphasize that the
environmental problems of North America were not the result of
NAFTA nor was the NAAEC devised to address all of them. But with
its huge success in expanding free trade, NAFTA has concentrated
population and environmental abuse at the US-Mexico border -- where
it ismost visible to Americans.
The authors offer recommendations to better NAFTA's
environmental dimension in all three countries, and improve living
conditions where economic growth is greatest -- at the US-Mexican
border. It makes more sense to tackle the shortcomings than to
lament NAFTA and the economic growth it promotes.
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