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ARTICLE · 31 MARCH 2016

CLEANING UP ON TRADETPP And The Environment

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership ("TPP") is a trade liberalization agreement signed by twelve countries on February 4, 2016.

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The Trans-Pacific Partnership ("TPP") is a trade liberalization agreement signed by twelve countries on February 4, 2016. The signatories are: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam. Included in the TPP is a chapter relating to trade and the environment. This is not the first time that environmental protection has been ascribed as a goal of a bilateral or multilateral trade agreement. The TPP is different, however, in that it incorporates an enforcement mechanism that shows more teeth than seen in previous trade agreements.

Multilateral agreements have traditionally favored trade over environmental concerns. The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade ("GATT") did allow that countries may legitimately undertake certain environmental measures as long as they did not result in unjustifiable discrimination on trade between countries or act as disguised restrictions on international

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