Trade Liberalisation, Economic Growth and the Environment

This book analyses and quantifies the environmental impact of two closely related phenomena: economic growth and trade liberalisation. Previous work in this area tends to address only the impact of trade or economic growth on the environment, yet, as Matthew Cole shows, the two are inextricably linked.

A theoretical and historical background to the relationship between economic growth and the environment, coupled with the environmental impact of international trade, particularly as it has been applied through the GATT/WTO, provides the contextual framework for a detailed empirical analysis. In examining the environmental effects of economic growth and international trade, use is made of Environmental Kuznets Curves (EKCs) and improvements to traditional EKC methodology are suggested. Global policy implications are discussed and conclusions drawn.

An essential supplementary text for any undergraduate or postgraduate studying environmental economics, this book should appeal to researchers and policymakers in the field of international economic development as well as anyone with an interest in the global environment.