he Role of the Environment in the World Trade Organization (WTO)

While debates on the linkage of trade and environment first initiated around 8 decades ago, it has been nearly over the past three decades during which the subject has become a topic of heated discussions between scholars of both sides. Given the major role WTO plays in regulating the International trades relations, conservationists have maintained a close scrutiny on the way WTO’s has dealt with environmental issues. Although WTO lacks a special agreement on environment, most agreements formulized within its domain include environmental regulations that require member states to insure the environment is duly protected. This paper seeks to illustrate the paramount importance of environmental issues in WTO’s activities, work out relevant solutions as how to strike a balance between trade and environment and shall discuss ways to assume more responsibility and accountability for WTO and its organs with regards to environmental issues.