美国贸易代表办公室（Office of the U.S. Trade Representative）五月份发布的一份题为《支持保护环境》（Standing up for the Environment）的报告显示了贸易协议可以如何帮助确保美国及其贸易伙伴以不破坏环境的方式从事原材料和制品交易。

报告指出，由于森林、野生动物、鱼类和其他资源在全球受到不法商家的危害，显然，“环境挑战带有全球性，需要有国际反响。”

美国与贸易伙伴国的自由贸易协议中有多项注重环保的条款。美国还提供资金和技术援助，帮助贸易伙伴国建立保护自然资源的更有力的监管和执法机制。

美国贸易代表办公室的报告提供了一些数据，展现由近年一批贸易协议促成的环保行动，这些数字取自美国与阿曼、摩洛哥、智利和秘鲁的双边协议。由《多米尼加共和国-中美洲自由贸易协议》（Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement）所开启的环保步骤也被列在统计中。

以下是自由贸易协议带来的新动向：

通过美国政府的援助，82051人接受了自然资源管理和/或生物多样性保护的培训。

11839人从可持续的自然资源管理和保护中获得了更大的经济利益。

有714项政策、法律和规章促进可持续的自然资源管理和保护。

1126万人受到有关生物多样性和濒危物种保护的公共意识教育。

37350农民接受了有益环境的农耕作业法的培训。

3千零73万8千5百96公顷的土地受到了更好的自然资源管理。

报告中提及的其他一些成就还包括：

智利自2010年起成立了环境部、环境执法监督机构和环保法庭。

在中美洲，农民在种植重要的经济作物咖啡和可可方面正在采用更有可持续性的做法。有利环保的耕作方法也改善了大约200个物种——其中一些已濒危绝迹——的栖息环境。



42 million ways international trade helps the environment

International trade makes people think of boatloads of grain, tankers of oil and lots of money changing hands. But trade also involves surprisingly high levels of environmental conservation.

A report from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) in May shows how trade agreements help the United States and partner nations ensure that raw materials and manufactured goods can be traded without trashing the environment.

As forests, wildlife, fish stocks and other resources fall victim to illegal profiteers worldwide, it is clear that “environmental challenges are global in nature and require an international response,” the report says.

Numerous provisions in free-trade agreements between the United States and its partners focus on environmental protections. The United States also provides financial and technical aid to help partners set up stronger regulatory and enforcement mechanisms to protect natural resources.

Standing up for the Environment, the May USTR report, offers numbers on planet-friendly actions growing from a select group of trade agreements in recent years. The numbers are drawn from bilateral agreements between the United States and Oman, Morocco, Chile and Peru. Steps toward environmental progress resulting from the Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement also are included in the count.

These things are happening because of free-trade agreements:

82,051 people receive training in natural resource management and/or biodiversity conservation with assistance from the U.S. government.

11,839 people gain increased economic benefits from sustainable natural resource management and conservation.

714 policies, laws and regulations promote sustainable natural resource management and conservation.

11,260,000 people learn from public awareness campaigns on biodiversity and endangered species conservation.

37,350 farmers train in environmentally friendly agricultural practices.

30,738,596 hectares come under improved natural resource management.

Some other achievements were noted in the report:

Chile has established an environmental ministry, environmental enforcement, oversight bodies and environmental tribunals just since 2010.

In Central America, farmers are adopting more sustainable growing practices for coffee and cacao, important cash crops. The Earth-friendly farming methods also provide better habitat for about 200 species, some endangered.