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NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)On December 17, 1992, Canada, Mexico, and the United States entered into a historical trade pact called the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). It aims to increase trade by expanding market access and reducing investment barriers across North American borders. Of the many aspects of the debate in the United States over the ratification of NAFTA, none received as much attention as the potential impact of the agreement on the environment. A number of issues including labor market disruptions fueled intense debate over NAFTA, especially in the United States. But no issue received as much attention as the impact of NAFTA on the environment. Debate focused on (1) possible threats posed to previously signed U.S. domestic environmental laws and international environmental agreements; (2) concern that harmonization of environmental standards would result in acceptance of the least common denominator; and (3) fear that U.S. industries would establish pollution havens in Mexico, where labor is cheaper and enforcement of regulations is weaker than in the United States. In order to allay such concerns, several provisions were added to the NAFTA text. For example, the preamble commits governments to undertake increased trade in "a manner consistent with environmental protection and conservation," and the agreement's dispute-settlement provisions can place the burden on the country challenging an environmental regulation. In addition, prior to NAFTA entering into force on January 1, 1994, the participating governments agreed to the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which obliges each country to "ensure that its laws and regulations provide for high levels of environmental protection and to strive to continue to improve those laws and regulations." It also ensures access by private persons to fair and equitable administrative and judicial proceedings on matters pertaining to the environment. The NAAEC established the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC), which has three institutional components: a Council, a Secretariat, and a Joint Public Advisory Committee. The Council, assisted by the Secretariat, is charged with monitoring NAFTA's environmental impacts. When they uncover adverse environmental impacts, they publicize them in various ways, including posting notices on their web site. The aim of the council is that, by means of this public shaming, countries will take action to remedy these situations. see also Economics; Laws and Regulations, International; Treaties and Conferences. BibliographyAudley, John N. (1997). Green Politics and Global Trade: NAFTA and the Future of Environmental Politics. Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press. Magraw, Daniel. (1995). NAFTA and the Environment: Substance and Process. Washington, D.C.: American Bar Association. internet resourceNAFTA Secretariat Web site. Available from http//:www.nafta-sec-alena.org. Michael G. Schechter |
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Schechter, Michael G.. "NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)." Pollution A to Z. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. Schechter, Michael G.. "NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)." Pollution A to Z. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3408100169.html Schechter, Michael G.. "NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)." Pollution A to Z. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3408100169.html |
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NAFTA
NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association) In operation since 1 January 1994, it aims to create a free trade area between Canada, Mexico, and the USA through the elimination of trade barriers on most industrial goods, as well as the financial and service sectors, by 2015. It was thus far less ambitious than the European Union. It emerged from the ‘Free Trade Area’ between Canada and the USA, which had been effective from 1 January 1989 following an initiative of Brian Mulroney. In the 1992 and 1996 US presidential elections, a rich vein of populist opposition to NAFTA was uncovered. This was mainly based on fears that NAFTA would serve to export US jobs to Mexico. According to Joseph E. Stiglitz, however, the US lost far more jobs to Asian economies with a cheap and well-educated workforce, such as China and India. And, despite the commitment to nominal free trade, barriers continued to effect Mexican exports, for instance in agricultural goods. Overall, the USA benefited disproportionately. Between 1994 and 2004 US income increased relative to that of Mexico by over 10 per cent. As a result, under George W. Bush the US proposed to extend the treaty to Latin America and the Caribbean.
http://www.nafta-sec-alena.org |
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JAN PALMOWSKI. "NAFTA." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. JAN PALMOWSKI. "NAFTA." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-NAFTA.html JAN PALMOWSKI. "NAFTA." A Dictionary of Contemporary World History. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O46-NAFTA.html |
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NAFTA
NAFTA / ˈnaftə/ (also Nafta) • abbr. North American Free Trade Agreement. |
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"NAFTA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "NAFTA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-nafta.html "NAFTA." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-nafta.html |
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NAFTA
NAFTANAFTA. See North American Free Trade Agreement . |
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"NAFTA." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "NAFTA." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401802812.html "NAFTA." Dictionary of American History. 2003. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3401802812.html |
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NAFTA
NAFTA See NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT.
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"NAFTA." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "NAFTA." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-NAFTA.html "NAFTA." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-NAFTA.html |
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NAFTA
NAFTA (ˈnæftə) New Zealand and Australia Free Trade Agreement
• North American Free Trade Agreement • North Atlantic Free Trade Area |
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Cite this article
FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "NAFTA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "NAFTA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-NAFTA.html FRAN ALEXANDER , PETER BLAIR , JOHN DAINTITH , ALICE GRANDISON , VALERIE ILLINGWORTH , ELIZABETH MARTIN , ANNE STIBBS , JUDY PEARSALL , and SARA TULLOCH. "NAFTA." The Oxford Dictionary of Abbreviations. 1998. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O25-NAFTA.html |
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