NAAEC and its institutions as catalysts of environmental governance in Mexico: From NAFTA to USMCA

Abstract

The renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) culminated with the signing of a new trade agreement, the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (T-MEC) and a series of symbolic modifications to the environmental issue. For none of the three member states, environmental protection represented a priority throughout the negotiation rounds. This has been a source of analysis and various criticisms by environmental groups, as they argue that a 21st century trade agreement should not evade the environmental and climatic crisis we suffer today. This text presents a summary of the content of the North American Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ACAAN), still in force, and analyzes the changes that occur in environmental matters since the signing of the T-MEC and its new environmental agreement, the Environmental Cooperation Agreement (ACA). Both chapter 24 of the T-MEC devoted to the environment and the new ACA represent a setback and paralysis of the evolution of environmental regulation in the region.