While enviros prepare to raise Cain during the World Trade Organization talks starting in Seattle on November 30, the WTO yesterday came out with a report saying that ending government subsidies to energy, fishing, and farming industries could give a big boost to environmental protection. In a set of recommendations for the WTO’s 134 member states, the report also suggests that countries could help fight pollution by dropping all barriers to trade in modern technologies and environmental services. Meanwhile, U.S. Deputy Commerce Secretary Robert Mallett is the latest Clinton administration official to give lip service to the notion that protections for the environment need to be included in trade agreements.
