Summary

The debate about how best to manage the interplay between trade, industrialization and the impacts of both on the global environment continues to rage, particularly in the context of the introduction and ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. This book deals with a number of important issues surrounding the debate about trade and the environment, but places particular emphasis on the process of EU enlargement.

The first two chapters, by prominent American scholars, present the case for and against the Kyoto Protocol. The authors go on to review the broader trade-environment debate by undertaking a critical analysis of the interplay between current WTO and EU economic policies and how they conflict with policies aimed at environmental protection. The third part focuses on EU accession economies and discusses how EU policies can best strike a balance between environmental improvements and economic development in those countries. Finally the book reviews the impact of economic transition on environmental policies in Russia and Central and Eastern Europe.

This book will be of great interest to scholars interested in the trade-environment debate and will be a valuable resource for international environmental policymakers.