Introduction

The conventional view of environmental problems in Latin America is dominated by the so-called ‘green issues’. In the media the problems of deforestation and the protection of the rainforest dominate discussion of environmental issues in the region. In order to estimate emissions associated with industrial production in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, United Nations Industrial Development Organization data on industrial value added for the three countries were converted into 1987 US dollars. Because the Industrial Pollution Projection System coefficients derive from the USA, which has stricter environmental regulations than are generally found in Latin America, it is likely that they underestimate the level of emissions in the region. Environmental issues are a relatively addition to the public policy agenda in Latin America. Major institutional and policy changes which increased the prominence of these issues date from the late 1980s or early 1990s in Argentina, Brazil and Mexico.