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The World Trade Organization and the Environment

Overview

Module description

The module gives an overview of the central issues affecting the relationship between the law and policy of the WTO and the protection of the environment.

Indicative Module Content

  • Introduction to the trade and environment debate
  • Overview of the World Trade Organization system in the context of environmental rulemaking
  • The relationship between the protection of the environment and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs
  • Eco-labelling
  • Access to genetic resources and the protection of traditional knowledge
  • The regulation of biotechnology
  • Trade in environmental services
  • Multinational enterprises and the protection of the environment
  • Restructuring the international regulatory framework

Learning objectives

By the end of this module, you will have:

  • been introduced to the World Trade Organization as an international economic, political and legal entity
  • examined the trade and environment debate
  • examined the World Trade Organization’s multilateral agreements and dispute resolution adjudications with a view to determining the extent to which the operations of World Trade Organization affect environmental sustainability
  • considered the bio-political implications of the formal legal division between public international law and international economic law as they affect the trade and environment debate.