Why was the Commission for Environmental Cooperation created in 1994?

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North American Free Trade Agreement (From left) Mexican Pres. Carlos Salinas de Gortari, U.S. Pres. George H.W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney meeting to initial the North American Free Trade Agreement in San Antonio, Texas, October 7, 1992.

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) was created in 1994 as part of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), a side agreement to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).1

The commission was established to address specific concerns regarding the potential environmental impacts of the trade pact. Environmentalists were particularly worried about the risks associated with rapid industrialization in Mexico, specifically noting the country's lack of experience in implementing and enforcing environmental regulations at that time. By creating the CEC, the signatory nations sought to provide a framework to manage these potential environmental challenges and ensure that the expansion of trade did not lead to environmental degradation.1