Question

Is the World Trade Organization anti-environment? Discuss your view on this controversial question.

Answer 1

World trade organization which was formed for the sole purpose of facilitating smooth trade between nations. The system allows some amount of tariffs for protection and emphasis in open and free trade norms. It has been criticized for leverging the gap between rich and poor nations by favouring the developed nations. Trade and environment are closely linked together but WTO doesnot have specific agreements on environment protection though it allows nations to take environment concerns into account while taking trade decisions. Globalization and intense competition lead to overexploitation of resources especially from the developing nations as they provide cheap labor and many domestic firms donot have the advantage of economies of scale. Agreement on sustainable development and protection of environment are new changes introduced by WTO via trade openness and transparency.