Mexico and the NAFTA environment debate : the transnational politics of economic integration

Abstract

The plan for a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was the occasion for a transnational political debate on the environmental effects of economic integration. Environmental organizations in Mexico, the US and Canada started this debate, in which the three governments, private sector organizations, labour unions, and various other organizations became involved. The central issue was Mexico´s weak enforcement of environmental policy. In the end, a supplemental environmental agreement was added to the trade agreement: a unique event. The NAFTA environment debate is an instructive case of the interaction between economic integration and environmental politics. For Mexico, the trade agreement involved the consolidation of not only its integration in the North American economy, but also of its neoliberal development strategy. However, the negotiations entailed major external pressure on the Mexican government to give environmental protection priority. This was unprecedented, and could not be ignored or silenced like previous national environmental criticism. The book analyses the NAFTA environment debate, and its political implications for Mexico. Based on extensive research, a study is made of the clashing transnational positions and lobbies, and of the changes in Mexico´s environmental policy. Special attention is paid to the role of non-governmental organizations, both in Mexican and transnational politics. The book makes an important contribution to discussions on the nature and impact of current processes of regionalization and globalization.