In June 1997, a number of leaders at the U.N. General Assembly expressed concerns over the adequacy of the existing international institutional structure and over the failure to make substantive progress since Rio. APEC is a potentially valuable forum for ensuring that environmental issues are addressed in the context of Asia-Pacific trade and investment liberalization. APEC has an important role to play in addressing regional scale environmental problems. APEC also offers a mechanism to support capacity building to strengthen national environmental programs and to enhance global environmental cooperation. An APEC environmental program will require new structures and procedures to facilitate Asia-Pacific cooperation.
Climate change is a major environmental policy challenge.
Moving toward effective and efficient greenhouse gas reductions would benefit from an APEC focus on joint implementation, technology transfer, and other modes of collaboration. A successful subsidies initiative requires further conceptual studies. Careful attention must be given to domestic political complexities in many countries. The World Trade Organization's Committee on Trade and Environment has made little progress in reconciling trade and environmental goals. Future efforts by the CTE would benefit from a more focused mandate, increased environmental participation, and further analytical input.