The Effectiveness of Environmental Provisions in Regional Trade Agreements
利用高分辨率卫星数据和新数据集，研究发现区域贸易协定中针对森林和生物多样性的具体环境条款能有效抵消贸易自由化带来的森林损失增加，尤其在热带发展中国家效果显著。
Abstract Trade liberalization can spur environmental degradation. Concerns over these adverse impacts have led to a debate over the need for environmental provisions in regional trade agreements (RTAs); however, the effectiveness of such provisions is unknown. In this paper, we provide new plausibly causal evidence that environmental provisions are effective in limiting deforestation following the entry into force of RTAs. We exploit high resolution, satellite-derived estimates of deforestation, and identify the content of RTAs using a new dataset with detailed information on individual provisions. Accounting for the potential endogeneity of environmental provisions in RTAs, we find that the inclusion of specific provisions aimed at protecting forests and/or biodiversity almost entirely offsets the net increases in forest loss observed in similar RTAs without such provisions. The effects are particularly strong in tropical, developing countries with greater biodiversity. The inclusion of these provisions limits agricultural expansion and agricultural trade.