The environmentalist paradox: The World Trade Organization challenges

While environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) have regularly voiced their dissatisfaction with those areas that trade officials see as the greatest contribution of the GATT and the WTO to global welfare, including trade liberalization and nondiscrimination, stakes have increased considerably in recent years. For governments advocating a new round of multilateral trade negotiations, agreeing on an agenda for trade and environment has emerged as principal areas of controversy. At the most fundamental level, many environmentalists argue that the Vs-TO should employ broader criteria to evaluate the multilateral trading system. In particular, the goal of sustainable development - a major concern to many environmentalists, UN agreements, and organizations - is said to be inextricably linked with the international economic system and should provide the common moral and legal underpinnings for the global economy.