Asia fears 'green protectionism'

Asia fears 'green protectionism'

SINGAPORE (Reuter): Asian nations fear their trade could
suffer because of proposed Western environmental pacts, two Asian
speakers told a conference yesterday.

Ponciano Intal, president of the Philippine Institute for
Development Studies, said environmental agreements would meet
strong opposition among developing Asian countries which fear the
pacts could lead to "green protectionism."

The opposition "stems primarily from their fear (these
rules) ... could lead to the use of 'green protectionism' as well
as to unwanted linkages such as the linkage of trade and labor
standards," Intal said.

He was speaking at the Asia Conference on Trade and the
Environment in Singapore.

Western countries want an amendment to World Trade
Organization (WTO) rules to allow trading restrictions if a
country violated a multilateral environmental agreement.

The restrictions would also apply if a country failed to meet
product standards designed to combat the spread of toxic
substances.

Martin Khor, director of the Third World Network in Malaysia,
told the conference the definition by the European Union of an
environmental agreement would allow a few countries to "take
restrictive measures in their trade interests."

"The main concern is that developing countries will lose out
in trade terms and be made victims of environmental agreements or
measures" to which they are not even parties, he said.

Yale University law professor Daniel Esty said there is a
"very real risk" that no progress will be made on the issues
unless a compromise is reached before the WTO trade ministerial
conference in December in Singapore.

"We'd certainly favor a balanced approach...than no solution
at all," Elizabeth Dowdeswell, executive director of the United
Nations Environment Program (UNEP), told reporters.

But she added, "The notion that environmental protection is
equivalent to environmental protectionism does not hold currency
anymore."

Disputes on environmental protection and labor standards have
become a new irritant between the West and the booming economies
of southeast Asia.

The United States has criticized Indonesia's labor standards
while some European nations take issue with the felling of
tropical rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia.