More significant, our desire to achieve this change is surprising to some and a little fearsome to others. I have been struck by the apparent lack of self-confidence of many in the worldwide environment community. Many environmentally concerned observers seem to see in WTO a threat to environment policy-making sovereignty. But they seem to miss the vision of WTO as an opportunity for the better integration of environment policy, be it precaution, consumer information, or the reduction of some ecologically damaging policies, into the trade mechanism. Trying to deconnect trade and environment is a false prejudice where environment would be the loser.
Trade is essential and can be made sustainable.
I believe that WTO can, and must, set its rules in such a way that trade-led growth takes place without undermining each country's right to regulate its environment, and all countries' right to control trade and investment where environmental goods are at risk. But in order to achieve this vision, the environment and social development community must take its courage in both hands and get stuck concretely into the trade policy debate, accepting that WTO can have a look at difficult issues without this implying that WTO will somehow seek to trump the international environmental rules. This is the opposite. In a world where the sustainability of trade negotiations is an explicit and shared objective, those seeking to reduce trade distortive subsidies will have an additional argument on their side. On the contrary, we all stand to gain from an explicit clarification of the way in which precaution, to take but that example, should be handled in areas where regulation impacts on trade flows.