Abstract

ZAVALA HERNANDEZ, Ruth. The NAAEC and Its Institutions as Catalysts for Environmental Governance In Mexico: From NAFTA to the USMCA. Norteamérica [online]. 2020, vol.15, n.1, pp.9-31.  Epub Jan 22, 2021. ISSN 2448-7228.  https://doi.org/10.22201/cisan.24487228e.2020.1.391.

The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) culminated in the signing of the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and a series of symbolic changes on environmental issues. Environmental protection was not a priority for any of the three member states during the round of negotiations. This has been analyzed and criticized by environmental groups, who argue that a twenty-first-century trade agreement should not ignore the environmental and climate crisis we are suffering today. This article summarizes the content of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), still in effect, and analyzes the changes slated for environmental issues with the signing of USMCA and its new environmental accord, the Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (AEC). Both USMCA’s Chapter 24, dedicated to the environment, and the new AEC are steps backward that paralyze the advances for environmental regulation in the region.

Keywords : environmental policy; NAFTA; USMCA; NAAEC; AEC.