NAFTA, 20 years of costs to communities and the environment /

RMALC was created in 1991, at the juncture of the negotiations of the Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and is a founding member of the Hemispheric Social Alliance and other regional and global networks. [...] Mexico has been genetically modified (GM),18 and In sum, NAFTA helped to eliminate key support to there have already been cases of U. S.-created GM Mexico’s smallholder farmers; facilitate the growth of corn contaminating fields of native Mexican corn, export-oriented large-scale farming in Mexico, Canada, despite the fact that Mexico banned the growing of and the U. S.; and boost U. S. and Canadi [...] Among the most harmful components of the was steep: the investment tribunal ruled in favor of investment rules are vaguely worded provisions that Metalclad and ordered the Mexican government to guarantee investors a “minimum standard of treatment,” pay nearly $16 million in compensation.76 “fair and equitable treatment,” and the right to claim •. In 1998, S. D. Myers, a U. S. waste-treatment damag [...] ENvIRoNMENTAL SIdE AGREEMENT: SIdELINING ThE ENvIRoNMENT In theory, NAFTA’s effect on the environment could for NAFTA on issues including “pollution prevention have been contained, or at least potentially mitigated, techniques and strategies” and “approaches and through strong and legally enforceable environmental common indicators for reporting on the state of the rules in the pact. [...] The Council of the reducing Mexico’s use of DDT and chlordane.93 However, CEC is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the potential environmental achievements of the CEC the side agreement and developing recommendations have been circumscribed by its limited mandate, poor 9 enforceability, its inability or unwillingness to address (Bill C38)98 — omnibus legislation that made several th