This handbook, a joint effort of the International Institute for Sustainable Development and the United Nations Environment Programme, is aimed mainly at those with some knowledge about trade, environment or development, but not expert on the intersection of the three. It is also a practical reference tool for policy-makers and practitioners. But the target audience is not just government policy-makers; the media and public will also find it useful. The handbook uses clear language and a minimum of jargon.

The handbook should help us understand how trade can affect the environment, for better and for worse, and how environmental concern can work through the trading system to foster or frustrate development in both rich and poor countries.

Preface:

All around the world, the growth and liberalization of international trade is changing the way we live and work. At $11 trillion a year, trade flows and the rules that govern them are a massive force for economic, environmental and social change. International trade is becoming an increasingly important driver of economic development, as it has been expanding at almost twice the pace of total global economic activity for the past 15 years.

A growing number of developing countries look to trade and investment as a central part of their strategies for development, and trade considerations are increasingly important in shaping economic policy in all countries, developed as well as developing.

That integration can take place in the context of international negotiations, such as the WTO’s Doha program of work, and the many ongoing regional and bilateral trade and investment negotiations, or it can occur at the national level, in policies and measures aimed at economic, social and environmental progress. In either case, wider understanding of the linkages is key.

This handbook aims to foster that sort of understanding, describing in detail how trade can affect the environment, for better and for worse, and how environmental concern can work through the trading system to foster or frustrate development, in both rich and poor countries. It is aimed mainly at those with some knowledge about trade, environment or development, but who are not expert on the intersection of the three. It should serve as a practical reference tool for policy-makers and practitioners, and be equally useful to the media and civil society. With this in mind, the handbook uses clear language and a minimum of jargon to foster a greater understanding by all segments of the public.

The handbook is available online at www.unep.ch/etb and www.iisd.org/trade/handbook.

Download Environment and Trade: A Handbook (Second Edition)

PDF format, 2.5MB, 142Pages.

Copyright © 2005 United Nations Environment Programme, International
Institute for Sustainable Development
Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development
ISBN 1-895536-85-5

The United Nations Environment Programme:

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is the overall coordinating environmental organization of the United Nations system. Its mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing and enabling nations and people to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.

UNEP’s Economics and Trade Branch (ETB) is one of the units of the Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE). ETB’s mission is to enhance the capacities of countries, especially developing countries and countries with economies in transition, to integrate environmental considerations into development planning and macroeconomic policies, including trade policies.

The trade component of ETB’s work programme focuses on improving countries’ understanding of environmental, social and economic impacts of trade liberalization and the trade impacts of environmental policies. ETB supports countries in building capacity to develop mutually supportive trade and environment policies that contribute to sustainable development and poverty reduction. ETB also provides technical input to the trade and environment debate through a transparent and broad-based consultative process.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development:

The International Institute for Sustainable Development contributes to sustainable development by advancing policy recommendations on international trade and investment, economic policy, climate change, measurement and assessment, and natural resources management. Through the Internet, we report on international negotiations and share knowledge gained through collaborative projects with global partners, resulting in more rigorous research, capacity building in developing countries and better dialogue between North and South.

IISD’s vision is better living for all-sustainably; its mission is to champion innovation, enabling societies to live sustainably. IISD is registered as a charitable organization in Canada and has 501(c)(3) status in the United States.

IISD receives core operating support from the Government of Canada, provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Environment Canada; and from the Province of Manitoba. The Institute receives project funding from numerous governments inside and outside Canada, United Nations agencies, foundations and the private sector.

IISD’s work in trade, investment and sustainable development seeks to find those areas of synergy where trade, investment, environment and development can be mutually beneficial, and to help policy-makers exploit those opportunities. It concentrates on two major themes in its work: reform of trade and investment rules and institutions, and building capacity in developing countries to address the issues of trade and sustainable development.

Since 1991, IISD has worked to broaden the terms of the trade-environment debates to encompass the concerns and objectives of developing countries—to make them evolve into debates about trade and sustainable development. All of IISD’s work aims to raise public consciousness about the importance of the issues of sustainable development. This handbook, first produced in 2001 and widely hailed as a standard for the educated layperson, is part of that tradition.

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