Industry competitiveness, trade and the environment

Workshop papers

These papers are from the Productivity Commission workshop held in Melbourne on 27 November 1998. The focus of this workshop was on the linkages between trade and environmental issues.

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Contents

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Contents, Acknowledgements, List of participants

Competition, trade and the environment: An Overview

Opening remarks

PART A LINKING TRADE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1 The Political Economy of Article XX
Ray Evans
“We are all Socialists now-a-days.”
Article XX and sovereignty

2 A Trade Negotiator's Perspective of the Links between Trade and Environmental Policies
Graeme Thomson
Introduction
An Overview of the WTO’s Work on Trade and Environment
The Use of Trade Measures in Multilateral Environmental Agreements
The Interaction between Trade Liberalizaton and the Environment
GATT/WTO Disputes
Concluding Comments

3 Trade and Environment in Sustainable Development
Margaret Clarke
Introduction
The Principles of Sustainable Development
Trade and environment and development
Trade provisions in Multilateral Environment Agreements
OECD 1995 Report
Australian interests
Conclusion

PART B INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

4 Role of the World Trade Organisation in Influencing the International Environment Agenda
Tim Fisher
Introduction
Article XX
Observations about the WTO and WTO Processes
Economic Dimensions to Environmental Degradation
The Need for Integrated and Systemic Reform

5 MEAs and the WTO - The real trade and environment issues
Alan Oxley
Summary
The trade provisions of MEAs
Impact on the WTO
Attitudes to the WTO
Broadening Perspectives

6 Some Implications of the Shrimp-Turtle Decision
Richard Snape

PART C OTHER ISSUES

7 Implications for Gains from Trade of Changes in Methods of Support Overseas
Apelu Tielu and Ivan Roberts
Decoupled support arrangements
Market distortions from support
These interventions produce costs to their economies
Decoupling farm support
WTO ‘green box’ and ‘blue box’ exemptions
Changing forms of support
Conclusion
References

8 The Biotechnology Action Agenda: Implications for Trade and the Environment
Donn Corcoran
Summary
Introduction
Benefits of biotechnology
Risks
Trade issues
Environmental issues
Policy responses
Long term issues

9 Incorporating Risk Assessment in Trade Policy
David Robertson
Risk assessment
Experience with risk assessment
Separating interests
References