“What we are seeing is mere lip service to environmental protection from the parties to the agreement, which has been touted as the largest ever free trade deal.
“Given the scope of the agreement and the time it has taken to negotiate, there is a complete lack of leadership and vision where it comes to environmental protection.
“This agreement sets a benchmark for other regional free trade agreements and therefore it’s likely these weaknesses will be repeated.
“The chapter on the environment is deeply disappointing because there are no new standards for environmental protection, merely a reinforcement of existing national and multilateral laws.
“Even then, there is an emphasis on ensuring countries’ domestic environmental laws are not used as barriers to trade.
“There are no new enforcement mechanisms to ensure that countries uphold their own environmental standards, and the mechanisms to enhance environmental performance are only voluntary.
“Although the text mentions emissions and the ozone layer, it does not confront the challenge of climate change, even though the international community recognises that it is the most pressing global problem we face."
The TPP still needs to be ratified by the 12 countries that have agreed on the deal: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam.
ENDS
Sydney, 6 November 2015 - Reacting to the text of the Environmental Chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, Emma Gibson, Head of Program for Greenpeace Australia Pacific said: