Globalization and the Linkage of Trade and Environmental Issues

The effects of globalization on the environment are a pressing concern and in order to understand globalization we need to understand how both freer trade and environment protection measures emerge. This book analyses the dynamic interactions between corporations, social movements and state actors in the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (CUSFTA), passed in 1988, and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), passed in 1993, which is notable for its linkage of trade and environmental issues due to concerns over the disparity in development between Mexico and the United States and Canada. This work creates a "cultural political economy" perspective to explain variations in the linkage of trade and environmental issues. This book should be useful for social scientists and policy makers eager to gain an in-depth understanding of two examples of globalization and to gather insights on how to better seek out environmental protections in the face of free trade.