Interaction between international free trade and environmental protection: the continued search for balance

Abstract

There is an existing conflict between trade and environmental policies. There are different opinions and attitudes in the relation between free trade and environmental protection. Free trade regards environmental factors as part of the comparative advantages that one country may have over another. However, many environmentalists are critical about trade liberalization. The scope of this paper was limited to the interaction between international free trade and the environmental protection. The main objectives of this study was to examine the interaction between trade(free trade) and environment and to analyse the areas of conflict between free trade under the World Trade Organization and environmental protection.