Jan 15, 2014
As WikiLeaks reported Wednesday morning, the draft environmental chapter as it now stands renders any potential environmental protections "toothless," as it lacks enforcement mechanisms between countries, such as penalties or criminal sanctions, and is largely "a public relations exercise."
According to the Sierra Club, The World Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, who together analyzed the document, the TPP's environmental regulations differ from previous U.S. trade agreements, which have included such "enforcement mechanisms."
"Instead of committing TPP countries to 'adopt, maintain, and implement' the laws, regulations, and all other measures to fulfill its obligations under [Multilateral Environmental Agreements] and subject those obligations to dispute settlement," the groups write in their joint analysis, "each TPP country is merely committed to 'affirm its commitment' to implement the MEAs to which it is a party."
"If the environment chapter is finalized as written in this leaked document, President Obama's environmental trade record would be worse than George W. Bush's," said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This draft chapter falls flat on every single one of our issues - oceans, fish, wildlife, and forest protections - and in fact, rolls back on the progress made in past free trade pacts."
Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted:
This peek behind the curtain reveals the absence of an ambitious 21st-century trade agreement promised by negotiating countries. The lack of fully-enforceable environmental safeguards means negotiators are allowing a unique opportunity to protect wildlife and support legal sustainable trade of renewable resources to slip through their fingers. These nations account for more than a quarter of global trade in fish and wood products and they have a responsibility to address trade's impact on wildlife crime, illegal logging, and overfishing.
And Peter Lehner, executive director of the NRDC added:
Environmental protections are only as effective as their enforcement provisions, and a trade agreement with weak enforcement language will do little or nothing to protect our communities and wildlife. Starting with the Bush administration, the United States has insisted that all trade pacts include enforceable environmental protections, and we should settle for nothing less in the TPP. Considering the dire state of many fisheries and forests in the Asia-Pacific region and the myriad threats to endangered wildlife, we need a modern trade agreement with real teeth, not just empty rhetoric."
_______________________
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
As WikiLeaks reported Wednesday morning, the draft environmental chapter as it now stands renders any potential environmental protections "toothless," as it lacks enforcement mechanisms between countries, such as penalties or criminal sanctions, and is largely "a public relations exercise."
According to the Sierra Club, The World Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, who together analyzed the document, the TPP's environmental regulations differ from previous U.S. trade agreements, which have included such "enforcement mechanisms."
"Instead of committing TPP countries to 'adopt, maintain, and implement' the laws, regulations, and all other measures to fulfill its obligations under [Multilateral Environmental Agreements] and subject those obligations to dispute settlement," the groups write in their joint analysis, "each TPP country is merely committed to 'affirm its commitment' to implement the MEAs to which it is a party."
"If the environment chapter is finalized as written in this leaked document, President Obama's environmental trade record would be worse than George W. Bush's," said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This draft chapter falls flat on every single one of our issues - oceans, fish, wildlife, and forest protections - and in fact, rolls back on the progress made in past free trade pacts."
Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted:
This peek behind the curtain reveals the absence of an ambitious 21st-century trade agreement promised by negotiating countries. The lack of fully-enforceable environmental safeguards means negotiators are allowing a unique opportunity to protect wildlife and support legal sustainable trade of renewable resources to slip through their fingers. These nations account for more than a quarter of global trade in fish and wood products and they have a responsibility to address trade's impact on wildlife crime, illegal logging, and overfishing.
And Peter Lehner, executive director of the NRDC added:
Environmental protections are only as effective as their enforcement provisions, and a trade agreement with weak enforcement language will do little or nothing to protect our communities and wildlife. Starting with the Bush administration, the United States has insisted that all trade pacts include enforceable environmental protections, and we should settle for nothing less in the TPP. Considering the dire state of many fisheries and forests in the Asia-Pacific region and the myriad threats to endangered wildlife, we need a modern trade agreement with real teeth, not just empty rhetoric."
_______________________
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
As WikiLeaks reported Wednesday morning, the draft environmental chapter as it now stands renders any potential environmental protections "toothless," as it lacks enforcement mechanisms between countries, such as penalties or criminal sanctions, and is largely "a public relations exercise."
According to the Sierra Club, The World Wildlife Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council, who together analyzed the document, the TPP's environmental regulations differ from previous U.S. trade agreements, which have included such "enforcement mechanisms."
"Instead of committing TPP countries to 'adopt, maintain, and implement' the laws, regulations, and all other measures to fulfill its obligations under [Multilateral Environmental Agreements] and subject those obligations to dispute settlement," the groups write in their joint analysis, "each TPP country is merely committed to 'affirm its commitment' to implement the MEAs to which it is a party."
"If the environment chapter is finalized as written in this leaked document, President Obama's environmental trade record would be worse than George W. Bush's," said Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club. "This draft chapter falls flat on every single one of our issues - oceans, fish, wildlife, and forest protections - and in fact, rolls back on the progress made in past free trade pacts."
Carter Roberts, President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) noted:
This peek behind the curtain reveals the absence of an ambitious 21st-century trade agreement promised by negotiating countries. The lack of fully-enforceable environmental safeguards means negotiators are allowing a unique opportunity to protect wildlife and support legal sustainable trade of renewable resources to slip through their fingers. These nations account for more than a quarter of global trade in fish and wood products and they have a responsibility to address trade's impact on wildlife crime, illegal logging, and overfishing.
And Peter Lehner, executive director of the NRDC added:
Environmental protections are only as effective as their enforcement provisions, and a trade agreement with weak enforcement language will do little or nothing to protect our communities and wildlife. Starting with the Bush administration, the United States has insisted that all trade pacts include enforceable environmental protections, and we should settle for nothing less in the TPP. Considering the dire state of many fisheries and forests in the Asia-Pacific region and the myriad threats to endangered wildlife, we need a modern trade agreement with real teeth, not just empty rhetoric."
_______________________
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.