Environmental Law

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Section on Environmental Law
Marina Salon D, South Tower/Level 3, San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina

Environmental Justice on the U.S.-Mexico Border

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has successfully increased trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico, but at a price. The pre-existing environmental problems in the border region have grown worse. Burgeoning industrial, agricultural, and residential development depleted scarce freshwater resources, generated enormous amounts of hazardous wastes, and contaminated air, land, and water. As a result, communities along the border are experiencing alarming rates of birth defects and pollution-related illnesses, including cancer, asthma, tuberculosis, auto-immune disorders, lead poisoning, and hepatitis. Economic integration also produced economic dislocations within Mexico (particularly in the countryside), which have accelerated migration to the border region and ultimately to the United States. These dislocations are now increasing further as the maquiladoras shut down in the face of competition from countries with lower wages and minimal environmental enforcement. De-industrialization in the border region is leaving behind a toxic legacy and large numbers of unemployed workers. This panel will examine the environmental and socioeconomic conditions in the border region through the framework of environmental justice, drawing connections among trade liberalization, environmental protection, and immigration.

Business Meeting at Program Conclusion.