Zawaya

The indispensable balance between economic growth and the environment

By: Nabila Saidoune

Agreements are being concluded while other consultations are triggered, making debates between Maghreb countries go on and on.

Agriculture, environment, food security, increasing grain production, saving water resources, and the fight against desertification are some of the issues that concern Arab states in general, and Maghreb countries in particular, where there are more open markets nowadays.

Recently, all barriers have been lifted to enable Arab countries to pursue open trade. This expansion of free trade, however, raises deep concerns at different levels. The concerns of Arab countries stem from the quite justified perception that in some cases, market and competition powers tend to undermine national laws and international agreements on environmental protection, and also loosen other laws for the purpose of encouraging investment in areas or countries where environmental standards are apparently lower.

It is clear, however, that all economic activities have an impact on the environment, towards which accelerated violations are recorded due to the uncontrolled use of natural resources and to the destruction of wealth. The relationship between economic growth and the environment has therefore abruptly changed with the rise of the industrial society, the expansion of populations around the world, the intensity of trade, the brutal implementation of exploitation models of natural resources, and the needs of communities that are becoming increasingly consuming.

Moreover, there is very little contact and dialogue between decision makers and trade experts on the one hand, and environmental specialists on the other hand. Exchanges are limited, and there are very few detailed and serious studies on the concrete and objective relationships between trade and the environment as well as on the links that tie them together.

For trade and environment to be complementary, there is a need to set up an appropriate policy on the environment in order to defend the interests of citizens. This policy should include an effective legislation on the environment. This requires a proactive anticipation policy of possible excesses, which are dangerous for the future of humanity. The economic-environmental relationship, for which finding the right balance is the inevitable solution, remains thus intimately connected with the idea of development.

Twenty years ago, the Montreal treaty was signed followed by other protocols, including that of Kyoto, which have not always benefited the African countries. These countries should optimize their participation in the Copenhagen summit next December and have a common cause so that the AMU and the African Union would assume their full meanings.