• Commentary
  • Research
  • Experts
  • Events
Carnegie China logoCarnegie lettermark logo
{
  "authors": [
    "John Audley"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Economy",
    "Trade",
    "Climate Change"
  ]
}
REQUIRED IMAGE

REQUIRED IMAGE

In The Media

Opportunities & Challenges to Advance Environmental Protection in the U.S.–Central America FTA

Link Copied
By Mr. John Audley
Published on Feb 10, 2003

Source: Carnegie

ISSUE BRIEF
TRADE, EQUITY, AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
February 2003

Opportunities and Challenges to Advance Environmental Protection in the U.S.-Central American Free Trade Negotiations

By John Audley

Full text in English (PDF format)
Full text in English (HTML format)

Full text in Spanish (PDF format)

Summary
The U.S. Congress has instructed the administration to treat environmental issues as a key objective in trade negotiations, and this challenge will be formidable in newly launched talks with Central American governments. Audley offers guidelines for the U.S. - Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) that will result in a trade regime that promotes environmental protections, strengthens rule of law, and encourages good governance in the region. Steps to achieve this ambitious agenda include building on environmental protection efforts already underway; creating trade-related incentives, such as promotion of green product exports; and including good governance provisions: dispute settlement proceedings, environmental reviews, and participation and transparency measures.

About the Author
John Audley is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he directs the Trade, Equity, and Development Project. Before joining the Endowment in April 2001, he was the trade policy coordinator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where he was responsible for developing and presenting EPA positions on U.S. trade policy.

Also Read on CAFTA: Sandra Polaski's "Central America and the U.S. Face Challenge-and Chance for Historic Breakthrough-on Workers' Rights"

About the Author

Mr. John Audley

Former Senior Associate

    Recent Work

  • Report
    NAFTA's Promise and Reality: Lessons from Mexico for the Hemishphere
      • +1

      Dr. Demetrios Papademetriou, Mr. John Audley, Ms. Sandra Polaski, …

  • Other
    Decoding Cancun: Hard Decisions for a Development Round
      • +1

      Mr. John Audley, George Perkovich, Ms. Sandra Polaski, …

Mr. John Audley
Former Senior Associate
EconomyTradeClimate ChangeNorth America

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie China

  • Commentary
    Today’s Rare Earths Conflict Echoes the 1973 Oil Crisis — But It’s Not the Same

    Regulation, not embargo, allows Beijing to shape how other countries and firms adapt to its terms.

      Alvin Camba

  • Commentary
    How China’s Growth Model Determines Its Climate Performance

    Rather than climate ambitions, compatibility with investment and exports is why China supports both green and high-emission technologies.

      Mathias Larsen

  • Overproduction in China
    Commentary
    What’s New about Involution?

    “Involution” is a new word for an old problem, and without a very different set of policies to rein it in, it is a problem that is likely to persist.

      Michael Pettis

  • Commentary
    The Chinese Investment Riddle: What Cities Reveal

    While China's investment story seems contradictory from the outside, the real answers to Beijing's high-quality growth ambitions are hiding in plain sight across the nation's cities.

      Yuhan Zhang

  • Commentary
    Using China’s Central Government Balance Sheet to “Clean up” Local Government Debt Is a Bad Idea

    China's stimulus addiction cannot go on forever. Beijing still has policy space to clean up the country's massive debt issue, but time is running short.

      Michael Pettis

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
Carnegie China logo, white
  • Research
  • About
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie China
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.