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Free trade accord impacts environment along U.S.-Mexican border
Tijuana, Mexico, Nov 08, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Increased air pollution, dirty drinking water and dangerous waste are just some of the more serious
environmental effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement along the U.S.-Mexican border, according to a recent report.
Released on Friday, the joint report by the Mexican Environmental Secretariat and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency blames the rise in commerce
and investment from the agreement for the ecological ills.
Daily life has been "degraded", according to the report, for the estimated 11.8 million people living in the border region.
Asthma triggered by air pollution and such chronic diseases as hepatitis A caused by untreated drinking water are just two of the illnesses which have
increased along the border.
Inadequate handling and disposal of toxic products and waste, and hazardous residues are also adding to the region's health problem and can be
directly blamed on the increase in industrial activity since the treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada went into effect, the report
says.
http://www.efe.es
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Dave
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 11-5-2002
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It's the height of hypocrisy for Mexico to blame its ills on NAFTA. Mexico has and has had environmental laws in place to address these problems. It
has, through corruption and negligence chosen to ignore them. Additionally there are zoning and private/state property laws to prevent the spread of
illegally built shanty towns (contributing to pollution and disease)for it's maquiladora workers. Again, same story.
For those who argue that Mexico is a poor country unable to find the resources to build it's infrastructure I offer this:
Mexico is in the world's top ten of GNP (close to the top five). It is not a poor country. It is a poorly RUN country.
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
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Re
I agree, Mexicos problems is and has been one of corruption and impunity, we have laws, we just dont follow them or punish those break them. The
border region has always been a mess, even before NAFTA, i also agree that Mexico is not poor, it is incredible to me that such a poorly run country
can achieve so much, we have surpassed Brazil as the largest economy in Latin america, our per capita income is only second to Argentina, we export
more than all other coutries combined, and on and on, i wonder where we could be if the goverment ran things correctly.
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Braulio
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Registered: 11-7-2002
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The most prosperous hispanic nation.
Jesse -
Check out the following link to an article in Contacto online magazine:
http://www.contactomagazine.com/montaner1017.htm
For those that don't speak spanish the article points out that the most prosperous hispanic nation is actually comprised of the hispanics that
currently live in the US. (except it's not really a nation)
Sorry about the language thing - it fit so I posted.
Chau.
Braulio
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JESSE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3370
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Re
Braulio,
Very cool article, to bad its in spanish and our fellow gringos cant read it, also another fact to consider, is that the mayority of hispanic
inmigrants to the US are Mexicans, and unfortunatelly the Mexicans that migrate to the US are the least educated in Mexico, so if our inmigrants where
more educated the GDP of that figures would be even higher.
Thanks
JESSE
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