China, the WTO, and the Environment.

• Author: Assadourian, Erik
• Position: ENVIRONMENTAL Intelligence

China's membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO) is having profound environmental impacts, particularly in agriculture, forestry, aquaculture, automaking, energy, and textiles, according to a report from the government's Task Force on WTO and the Environment. In agriculture, for instance, China's land and water short-ages and labor surpluses suggest that land- and water-intensive farming of grains is shrinking while labor-intensive production of fruits, vegetables, and livestock expands. The loss of grain production is reducing food security and has already led to China's first-ever agricultural trade deficit.

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In forestry, accession is leading to adoption of more efficient technologies and improved forest management programs. However, timber importation is growing rapidly, with much of it coming from areas practicing poor forest stewardship. In aquaculture, exports are growing rapidly because aquaculture is labor-intensive and improves food security. Continued growth will depend on protecting the heavily pollution-threatened marine environment.

Despite strict emission standards, the explosive growth of auto usage is creating a...