TRADE AGREEMENTS, AGRICULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT IN DEVELOPING-COUNTRIES - DISCUSSION

Trade liberalization is coming, whether through international agreements or through powerful private market forces pushing global economic integration. To stand in its path is to fight the economic tide. Some are concerned, however, that the economic growth spurred by liberalized trade will cause “excessive” environmental deg­radation, especially in developing countries where control regimes are often weak or absent. The papers in this session add to the immature literature on the effects of liberalized trade on environmental quality. They make conceptual and preliminary empirical contributions. Rather than discuss specific analytical details, I will fo­cus my remarks on three themes that deserve further comment. © 1993 American Agricultural Economics Association.