Synopsis:
Economic integration abolishes cross-national economic discrimination, and one of the major examples of economic integration is the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Much of the controversy regarding NAFTA has centered on the gains and losses for the United States and Mexico.

This article discusses the debate over NAFTA's impact on Mexico's environment. By highlighting the problem of toxic waste in Mexican border towns with the increasing number of maquiladoras, this article describes how NAFTA seems to have resulted in destruction of Mexico's environment. This article also explains the recent changes in Mexican environmental standards and enforcement.

Full-text Article: http://www.economist.com/editorial/justforyou/19990807/index_am3924.html

Text connection:
Chapter 8 "Regional Economic Integration" (pp.247-250), and Chapter 7 "The Political Economy of Foreign Direct Investment" (pp. 213-219).