WASHINGTON, Jan. 15, 2014 - WikiLeaks released the secret draft text today for the entire Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) environment chapter and the corresponding chairs’ report.
WikiLeaks said the TPP environment chapter has long been sought by journalists and environmental groups. The released text dates from the chief negotiators’ summit in Salt Lake City in November.
The environment chapter covers what the proposed positions on environmental issues, including climate change; biodiversity and fishing stocks; and trade and investment in “environmental” goods and services. It outlines how to resolve environmental disputes arising out of the treaty’s subsequent implementation. The draft text was prepared by the chairs of the Environment Working Group, at the request of TPP ministers at the Brunei round of the negotiations.
WikiLeaks said that when compared against other TPP chapters, the environment chapter is noteworthy for its “absence of mandated clauses or meaningful enforcement measures.”
“The dispute settlement mechanisms it creates are cooperative instead of binding; there are no required penalties and no proposed criminal sanctions,” the group said. “With the exception of fisheries, trade in ‘environmental’ goods and the disputed inclusion of other multilateral agreements, the chapter appears to function as a public relations exercise.”
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