Trade and the environment : economic, legal and policy perspectives

Trade and the Environment presents the most important published articles and papers which are essential to an understanding of the complex interrelationship between trade and the environment - an area which reflects the increasing concern about the protection of the earth's environment and natural resources. The book examines the subject from three perspectives. The first section offers an economic analysis of the trade and environment relationship, including the problems of cost and the methodological approaches to analyses of trade and environment; and exploration of how international and national trade and environment policies affect each other and an investigation of how firms and corporations adjust their strategies to respond to environmental regulation. The second section, which is devoted to the legal aspects of the conflict between trade and environmental policies, explores the implications of existing international trade agreements for good environmental practice and investigates the effects of national environmental laws on international trade. The final section is concerned with government policy and the way in which national governments construct international 'regimes' which affect the interplay between trade liberators and environmental regulators. Trade and the Environment provides a clear insight into an area of current concern and points to future issues in the rapidly emerging trade and environment regime.