The latest round of World Trade Organization negotiations concluded yesterday with delegates from 142 nations agreeing to an agenda for the next round of trade talks and glossing over environmental disagreements for the moment. The agenda, which includes cutting tariffs on industrial goods, phasing out farm subsidies, reducing foreign investment barriers, and limiting anti-dumping laws, pays some lip service to the environment and includes a proposal to offer tax breaks for environmentally friendly products. But critics worry that other measures, such as efforts to determine the relationship between WTO rules and those governing multilateral environmental agreements, could undermine environmental gains. For more WTO details, read the wrap-up from our correspondents in Qatar, only on the Grist Magazine website.
