ABSTRACT
Globalization has given rise to a lengthening list of issues that cross borders, from environmental standards and development concerns to the distribution of resources, labour standards, health issues, human rights, education, technological empowerment – even foreign security. Environmental challenges such as acid rain, deforestation, global warming or the protection of endangered species clearly demand approaches that are global rather than national in scope. To pretend that environmental concerns stand in the way of free trade is to create a false obstacle. To pretend that free trade stands in the way of environmental concerns is also to create a false obstacle. The World Trade Organization (WTO) is a strong institutional friend and supporter of the environment. To characterize the WTO as an organization that 'refuses to reveal its deliberations to the public, or be held responsible for the social, political and environmental costs of its decisions' is a false representation.
