The relationship between international trade and the environment is complex.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has argued that trade can have both positive and negative environmental impacts.
In its inquiry, the Committee will explore how the Government can support positive environmental outcomes through trade policy – including the achievement of the internationally agreed climate targets set out in the Paris Agreement, and how the negative environmental impacts of trade can be mitigated.
In doing so, the Committee will examine how effectively existing free trade agreements address environmental issues, and consider how the Government could implement its commitment, as set out in the 2017 Trade White Paper, to “the maintenance of high standards of […] environmental protection in trade agreements”.