The open exchange of goods and services across a border enriches people on both sides. If it didn’t, trade wouldn’t occur. By spreading prosperity, trade helps countries afford conservation efforts.
History shows that wealthier societies lead to cleaner environments. When countries have low incomes, pollution appears to rise with GDP. Then it reaches a peak and plummets, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. That makes sense. Like adolescence, the first stages of industrialization can be messy. But they’re also worth enduring. As societies mature, they build wealth--and a middle class that not only demands but also can afford a certain quality of life.
A poor family won’t understand why it shouldn’t cut down an acre of rainforest. It has the short-term worry of paying for its next meal. A middle-class family, on more stable economic footing, can look at the same patch of rainforest and see its long-term utility. That’s why the richest countries tend to have the strongest environmental laws.
Because trade generates wealth, and wealth creates a demand for conservation, smart environmentalists support free trade.
When we trade, we conserve--and the more we trade, the more we’ll protect the environment.
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